Senate candidates in Malta

A total of five Republican U.S. Senate candidates will be looking to unseat current U.S. Senator from Montana Jon Tester in November, but one will be picked in the June primary election and four of them are scheduled to be in Malta this Friday.

The candidates will be at a meet-and-greet at the Great Northern on Friday, March 16 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Candidates Troy Downing, Matt Rosendale, Dr. Albert Olszewski, and Russell Fagg are all scheduled to be in Malta on Friday afternoon ahead of the Reagan-Lincoln Dinner in Valley County later that day. (James Dean, a fifth candidate to file for election, had not confirmed he would be at the meet-and-greet.)

"Come out and meet the candidates and voice your concerns for our issues here in Eastern Montana," Montana State Rep. Casey Knudsen said. "We rarely have a voice over here so I encourage people to come out, meet the candidates and share their thoughts."

Knudsen, who is seeking re-election this June and is running unopposed for the House District 33 seat on the Republican ticket, said that event will allow the public to not only hear talking points but have conversations with the candidates.

"It is an opportunity to sit down, over lunch, and have a conversation with the people that could be representing us at the federal level," Rep. Knudsen said. "I am really excited to have them here in Phillips County."

Along with the four candidates for U.S. Senate to be at the GN on Friday, Knudsen said Bowen Greenwood, who is running for Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court, will also be in attendance.

Sen. Tester was elected to the Montana Senate in 1998 and then the U.S. Senate in 2006 and again in 2012. He currently sits on the Appropriations Committee; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; the Indian Affairs Committee; and the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Troy Downing is a U.S. Air Force veteran and served for eight years including two deployments in Afghanistan, according to his website: troydowning.com.

Matt Rosendale is a 57-year-old rancher and businessman and current Montana State Auditor, according to his website: mattformontana.com.

Rosendale lives in Glendive, Mont., and in 2014, was elected by his colleagues in the State Senate as the Majority Leader.

Dr. Albert Olszewski is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a physician for the last 30 years and recently served in the state house (2015-17) according to his website: alforsenate.us.

Russell Fagg worked in private practice as an attorney, then serving as City Prosecutor and Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney, Russ decided to run for Judge. He won, and served for 20 years, according to his website: russformontana.com. Fagg also ran for the Montana legislature and served two terms.