Democrat Enters Race for Montana Auditor

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Democrat has entered the race to become Montana’s state auditor.

State Rep. Shane Morigeau (Mor’-joh) of Missoula announced his candidacy in a video Sunday. He joins Republican Troy Downing in the race to replace current Matt Rosendale, who is running for Congress.

If elected, Morigeau said he would work to ensure that health insurance is affordable, protect consumers from fraud and provide regulatory certainty for businesses. The 34-year-old also said he would use his seat on the state Land Board to keep public lands public.

Morigeau is originally from Ronan and is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. He is a lawyer who has served in the state legislature since 2017.

Auditor is one of three statewide offices that Republicans took from Democrats in 2016.