Yellowstone County Democrats

05/28/2026

At our May 20 county platform convention, members voted to support a two-year pause on large-scale data center development in Montana, giving the state time to study the impacts on energy costs, the environment, and our communities, and to put real rules in place before the 2027 legislative session.

The proposal now heads to the Montana Democratic Party's state platform convention, June 19 to 21 in Billings.

The two years could be used to establish regulations and strict criteria around energy consumption and environmental impacts that could be addressed first in 2027 and then again in 2029.

05/28/2026

Data centers in Montana, part 2: weighing the tradeoffs.
Large data centers are looking at Montana, and Yellowstone County is part of that conversation. We want to hear how you think about it.

On one side of the ledger: jobs and economic development. Construction work, some permanent operations jobs, new tax base, infrastructure investment.

On the other: resource use. Big data centers draw significant electricity and water and take up land. A single large facility can use as much power as thousands of Montana homes.

These are genuine tradeoffs, not a simple yes or no. The right call depends on the specifics: how big, where, how it is powered, how much water it needs.

We are asking a question. When a data center comes knocking, what should a Montana community weigh most heavily? Tell us in the comments.

05/27/2026

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05/27/2026

Two Democrats are running in House District 46. Meet them both. District 46 has a contested Democratic primary on June 2, which means voters there get to choose who carries the Democratic banner into November. Both candidates are Democrats. Both have stepped up to serve. Here they are, in alphabetical order.

DENISE JOY
Denise Joy grew up in Hardin and Billings and holds a degree in political science, with further study in public policy and administration. She is running on public safety, affordable housing, equity-focused policymaking, and investing in young entrepreneurs. https://denisejoyformontana.com/

ERIN TATE
Erin Tate is a licensed clinical social worker who has called Billings home for the past ten years. She is running on livable wages, affordable housing, clean air, water, and public lands, and accountability in government. https://tate4mt.com/

The Yellowstone County Democrats support all qualified Democratic candidates equally, and we stay neutral in contested primaries. The choice in District 46 belongs to its voters.

Montana's primary election is June 2. Make a plan to vote.

05/27/2026

This May Day, working people across the country stood together to mark a simple truth: nobody builds a good life alone. The eight-hour day, the weekend, workplace safety, none of it was handed down. Workers organized for it.

Democrats in Montana carry that spirit forward. Our state platform backs the right to organize and bargain collectively, equal pay for equal work, prevailing wages on tax-funded projects, and paid family and medical leave.

In Yellowstone County, that is the difference between a paycheck that covers the rent and one that does not. Solidarity is not a slogan. It is how working Montanans look out for one another.

05/26/2026

Meet James Reavis, Democratic candidate for re-election in Montana House District 47. James Reavis already represents House District 47, downtown and south Billings, in the Montana Legislature. He served his first session in 2025, and he is running to continue the work.

Before the Legislature, James spent eleven years as a public defender, most recently in criminal defense in state and federal court, and he is a small business owner. His approach in office is straightforward: his constituents set the agenda, not the other way around.

In Helena, James is focused on protecting LGBT+ and reproductive rights, raising the minimum wage, making housing and healthcare more affordable, and supporting public education.

House District 47 deserves a representative who shows up, listens, and does the work. James Reavis has been doing exactly that.

Follow along and get involved: reavisformontana.com

05/25/2026

Today, we remember.

Memorial Day is set apart for one purpose: to honor the men and women who died in service to this country.

Some of them were from here: from Billings, from Laurel, from the small towns and ranches across Yellowstone County. They left behind parents, spouses, children, and friends who carry their absence still.

We owe them a debt that cannot be repaid, only honored. We honor it by remembering them, by caring for the families they left behind, and by working toward a country worthy of their sacrifice.

To everyone visiting a graveside today, placing a flag, or holding a quiet memory: we are thinking of you.

05/25/2026

Meet Gabriel Bradshaw, Democratic candidate for Montana House District 40. Good representation starts with people willing to step up for the place they call home.

Gabriel Bradshaw was raised in Lockwood, in a working class family, and he is running to represent House District 40, the community that raised him, in the Montana Legislature.

That background shapes what he is running on: access to healthcare, a fair tax system, strong support for unions and the workers in them, and public transit that reliably connects people to jobs, school, and care. These are the issues that decide whether a Montana family gets by.

House District 40 deserves a representative who treats public service as a responsibility, not a prize. That is the campaign Gabriel Bradshaw is running.

Get involved with Yellowstone County Democrats and support candidates like Gabe at yellowstonedemocrats.org

05/24/2026

Meet Julie Hippler, Democratic candidate for Montana Senate District 25. A state Senate seat covers a lot of ground and a lot of neighbors. Julie Hippler is running to represent Senate District 25, here in Yellowstone County, in Helena.

Julie is a retired educator who spent more than 30 years in Montana's public schools, where she worked as a reading intervention specialist in Billings, helping kids who needed extra support. She is a member of the Montana Federation of Public Employees and volunteers in faith-based community programs. That career in the classroom is the heart of her campaign. Julie is running to fully fund public education, to make healthcare and mental health care affordable and available, and to protect the public land that belongs to every Montanan.

The Montana Senate needs members who listen first and work hard. Julie Hippler is offering Senate District 25 exactly that.

Follow along and get involved: hipplerformontana.com

05/24/2026

8,435 megawatts. To put that in perspective: NorthWestern Energy generates power for homes and businesses across Montana, and Quantica's applications total roughly five times that, in one location north of Billings.

Data centers bring real questions about power supply, water use, and infrastructure that affect every Yellowstone County resident. This is a conversation worth following.

Quantica's applications add up to 8,435 megawatts, about five times what NorthWestern Energy owns for generation in Montana.