2026 Legislative Candidates

2026 Legislative Candidates

These are Missoula County’s Republican nominees for the Montana Legislature in the November 3, 2026 general election. The Missoula County Republican Central Committee endorsed this slate, and each candidate won the June 2 Republican primary.

Not sure which district you live in? Look it up on the Missoula County voter map. The MCRCC’s full 2026 endorsement list is also on our primary endorsements page.

Montana Senate

Brad Tschida, Republican candidate for Montana Senate District 49

Senate District 49

Brad Tschida

West Missoula, including Target Range, Orchard Homes, and the Mullan Road corridor (House Districts 97 and 98).

Brad Tschida is a Missoula businessman, educator, and former Montana House member. He represented House District 97 from 2015 to 2023, including service as House Majority Whip, and is running again for Senate District 49 after a 2022 race against the current incumbent.

Tschida’s record and campaign have focused on: preventing the state from taking control of your water usage by requiring meters on your private wells, lowering your taxes, reducing government spending and regulation, protecting your daughters from male predators, and defending the Second Amendment.

Campaign email

Montana House of Representatives

Trish Schreiber, Republican candidate for Montana House District 76

House District 76

Trish Schreiber

Seeley Lake, Ovando, Drummond, Philipsburg, Deer Lodge, Helmville, Avon, and surrounding rural communities in Powell, Granite, Deer Lodge, and Missoula counties.

Trish and her husband, Matt, made their home in Helmville nearly a decade ago. She spent more than 25 years in educational therapy, helping children and adults overcome reading and writing challenges, and later volunteered in Helena as a citizen advocate on education policy.

Schreiber is running to listen to parents, ranchers, teachers, and small-business owners in HD 76. Her campaign is built around strong local schools, true property tax relief, responsible budgeting, support for agriculture, and defending the Second Amendment. She is endorsed by the Montana Republican Party, local sheriffs in Powell and Granite counties, and the Missoula County Republican Central Committee.

Campaign website

Lyn Hellegaard, Republican candidate for Montana House District 89

House District 89

Lyn Hellegaard

Lolo and southwest Missoula County.

Lyn Hellegaard did not set out to be a politician. She watched neighbors in Missoula get squeezed by higher taxes and out-of-control government spending, and decided to do something about it. Drawing on a background in banking and small-business ownership, she built a reputation for fiscal responsibility — first on the Missoula City Council, then in the Montana Legislature.

In office, Hellegaard has worked to cut burdensome regulations driving up costs for homeowners, secure funding for veterans service centers in every Montana county, and strengthen election integrity. Her priorities for HD 89 are tax relief for working families and small businesses, school choice, and protecting public access to Montana’s lands.

Campaign website

Jeff Stanek, Republican candidate for Montana House District 90

House District 90

Jeff Stanek

St. Regis, Superior, Alberton, Frenchtown, and communities across Mineral County and western Missoula County.

Jeff Stanek is a St. Regis teacher, Air Force veteran, husband, and father of two boys. He served as a cop in the Air Force, including a deployment to Afghanistan, then used the GI Bill to finish his teaching degree. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Montana Western, later earned a master’s degree, and has taught social studies in St. Regis for eight years. In 2025 he was named Montana History Teacher of the Year.

Stanek is not a career politician. His campaign is aimed at shrinking government, cutting property taxes, defending the Bill of Rights, keeping lumber, energy, and minerals produced in Montana, and making sure the government serves the people — not the other way around.

Campaign website

House District 91

Charles Headley

Arlee, Dixon, Evaro, the Jocko Valley, and communities on the Flathead Reservation in Lake, Missoula, and Sanders counties.

Charles Headley lives in Arlee, where he serves as chief of the Arlee Volunteer Fire Department. He moved to Montana with his family in 2017. Headley is running to give rural western Montana a stronger voice in Helena, with a focus on affordable housing and treating emergency medical services as essential so volunteer departments can get the support they need.

Roy Handley, Republican candidate for Montana House District 93

House District 93

Roy Handley

Clinton, Bonner, East Missoula, Turah, and nearby southeast Missoula County communities.

Roy Handley is a Missoula County native, rancher, and businessman from Clinton. He holds a degree in agricultural business and has contracted school-bus service for more than 30 years, giving him a firsthand look at Montana’s public schools as well as the pressures facing farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.

Handley is running to take on the rising cost of living, property taxes, and red tape that push young Montanans out of state. He wants Helena to live within its means, keep everyday essentials free of a sales tax, and put more emphasis on the basics in our schools.

Greg Woodward, Republican candidate for Montana House District 94

House District 94

Greg Woodward

South Missoula, including the South Hills, Linda Vista, and Miller Creek.

Greg Woodward is the Republican nominee for House District 94. Endorsed by the Missoula County Republican Central Committee, he is campaigning on property tax relief for homeowners in south Missoula. Woodward has been meeting voters in HD 94 throughout the cycle and will represent this south-side district on the November ballot.

Campaign website

Michael HagEstad, Republican candidate for Montana House District 97

House District 97

Michael HagEstad

West-central Missoula, including Target Range and Orchard Homes.

Michael HagEstad is a fourth-generation Missoulian, an attorney, an economist, and a father of two young sons. He chairs the Missoula County Republican Central Committee. A Missoula native, he earned a B.A. in economics from Hillsdale College and a J.D. from the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law.

HagEstad is running because Missoula is getting harder to recognize — and harder to afford. In Helena he will fight to lower property taxes, cut red tape so housing and small businesses can grow, and stand with law enforcement to keep neighborhoods safe.

Campaign website

House District 98

Bryan Muzzana

West Missoula along the Mullan Road corridor.

Bryan Muzzana is the Republican nominee for House District 98. Endorsed by the Missoula County Republican Central Committee, Muzzana advanced from the June primary and will be on the November ballot to give west Missoula a Republican voice in the House.

Ryan Darling, Republican candidate for Montana House District 99

House District 99

Ryan Darling

Wye, Evaro, Frenchtown, Grant Creek, and northwest Missoula.

Ryan Darling is a Montana business owner, commercial pilot, and technical specialist. He holds a degree in economics, is a commercial multi-engine pilot and certified flight instructor, and owns two geospatial technology companies — Verify 3D LLC and AeroVector Geospatial — that serve construction, mining, and infrastructure clients across the Mountain West.

Darling’s campaign is focused on property tax relief, affordability, and limited government. He is running to put Montana families first, protect individual liberty, cut red tape for job creators, and preserve access to Montana’s public lands.

Campaign website

Candidate bios are drawn from campaign websites, public candidate statements, and Montana GOP candidate spotlights. Campaign sites are maintained by the candidates. Additional photos and bios will be added as they become available. Questions? Email [email protected].