Obama, Dupont, Zinke win
David Erickson / Whitefish Pilot — Ina Albert, left, and Barbara Palmer react emotionally to Barack Obama's acceptance speech at a Democratic gathering at The Loft in Whitefish on Tuesday night. Everyone agrees, history was made this week.
By RICHARD HANNERS
Whitefish Pilot
Jopek wins, Democrats sweep state land board
History was made Tuesday as Barack Obama became the first African-American to win a presidential election in the U.S.
While the Democrat's victory was an electoral college landslide, the popular vote was closer.
His opponent, Republican John McCain, won the presidential race in Montana, 235,045 to 218,748, with Ron Paul garnering 10,149 votes.
McCain won more handily in the Flathead, defeating Obama 25,361 to 15,976. Paul took 1,644 votes in the Flathead.
In the Flathead County race for county commissioner, former county sheriff Jim Dupont, R-Coram, easily defeated Steve Qunell, D-Whitefish, by 27,696 to 14,028.
"My opponent ran a hard campaign," Dupont said Tuesday night at the Republican gathering in the Outlaw Inn in Kalispell. "But the people spoke, and they want less government."
The Republicans gained a key state senate seat when retired Navy SEAL commander Ryan Zinke, R-Whitefish, defeated Brittany MacLean, D-Whitefish, by 5,454 to 4,544.
Zinke campaigned hard across the large district and sank more than $12,000 of his own money in the race, buying TV time to counter negative ads paid for by the Montana Democratic Party.
In the hotly contested House District 4 race, incumbent Democrat Mike Jopek narrowly defeated Republican John Fuller by 2,919 to 2,427.
"I will work for a united Whitefish and one Montana, bringing people together with common and shared values," Jopek said.
Incumbent Republican Bill Beck narrowly defeated Democrat Scott Wheeler for the House District 6 seat by 3,160 to 2,674, with Constitutional Party candidate Timothy Martin garnering 316 votes.
Republican Bruce Tutvedt easily defeated Democrat Mark Holston in the cross-valley Senate District 3 race by 7,327 to 4,547.
Statewide, Democrats swept the five state land board seats. Developing the state'" s natural resources, particularly the Otter Creek coal lands in southeastern Montana, was a hot-button issue this year.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who has promoted Montana as a source of energy for the rest of the nation, easily defeated his Republican challenger, Roy Brown, by 304,108 to 152,755. The former Whitefish resident also won in the Flathead, 24,770 to 16,952.
Democrat Steve Bullock defeated Republican Tim Fox in the state attorney general race by 233,421 to 213,855. Bullock, however, lost in the Flathead by 16,934 to 24,035.
Linda McCulloch, the former head of the Office of Public Instruction, defeated incumbent Republican Secretary of State Brad Johnson by 222,744 to 220,404. She lost in the Flathead by 16,158 to 24,204.
Monica Lindeen, D-Huntley, defeated Duane Grimes, R-Clancy, in the race for state auditor by 235,232 to 206,735. Grimes was the winner in the Flathead by 23,314 to 16,887.
Democrat Denise Juneau easily defeated Republican Elaine Sollie Herman for Office of Public Instruction by 223,407 to 194,262, with Libertarian Donald Eisenmenger collecting 22,998 votes. Juneau lost to Sollie Herman in the Flathead by 22,111 to 15,884.