HELENA, Mont. — Thirty-two new candidate filings were submitted to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office this week, bringing the total candidate filing number to 283 ahead of the filing deadline on Monday.

Twenty-six legislative candidates filed for the Montana House and Montana Senate this week — 24 and two, respectively — including one incumbent, bringing the total number of legislative incumbents to re-file for their same seat to 85.

As of Friday afternoon, three eligible incumbents had filed for the opposite chamber (House to Senate), while one had moved House districts.

Fifty-two legislative incumbents currently have at least one challenger that has filed for the same seat, with 11 of those currently set for a June 7 primary. A total of 40 legislative races are currently scheduled for the primary election.

An additional six candidate filings were submitted for non-legislative seats this week, including five for the Public Service Commission. There are also 14 total candidates vying for Montana’s two congressional seats, seven in each race.

Mitch Heuer became the latest to join the congressional fray, filing for U.S. House District 1, Montana’s western district, on Tuesday. House District 1 consists of Al “Doc” Olszewski, Cora Neumann, Mary Todd, Ryan Zinke, Monica Tranel, Matt Jette, and Heuer.

Skylar Williams, James Boyette, current Representative Matt Rosendale, Kyle Austin, Mark Sweeney, Penny Ronning, and Charles Walking Child have filed for U.S. House District 2.

Statewide, state district, or legislative candidates can file online, in person at the Secretary of State’s Office, or by mail or fax (the filing fee must be paid at the time of filing). Local candidates file with the county election office.

For more information about candidate filing and the offices on the 2022 ballot, visit the “File For Office” page on the Montana Secretary of State’s website. Montana’s 2022 Election Calendars are also available online.

Candidate filing closes at 5 p.m. on March 14, 2022.