Upswing Research
50%40%30%20%10%0%
43%
Democrat
Matt Rains
MT-01 Democratic nominee?
$83.7K
JUN 9, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleRancher
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyMainstream Democrat
GenderMale
LocationMontana
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BackgroundRancher
Notable personal detailsMatthew (Matt) Rains is a Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Montana’s 1st Congressional District (MT-01). He is a rancher and U.S. Army veteran and has described himself as a political moderate focused on agriculture and rural issues. He previously ran for Congress in 2020 and later worked for the Montana Farmers Union, including as chief of staff to its president Walter Schweitzer (2020–2025).
SourcesShowHide
fec.govmtpr.orgmontanafreepress.orgmontanarightnow.comdocquery.fec.govdeveloper.ballotpedia.orgkrtv.comravallicounty.govballotclarity.orgloc.govapps.montanafreepress.orgkalshi.comsosmt.goven.wikipedia.orgcascadecountymt.govmadisoncountymt.govreddit.comarxiv.orgmattrainsformontana.comrevenue.mt.govmountainstatespolicy.orgballotready.orgbigskybusinessjournal.commontanademocrats.orgnewsfromthestates.comkpax.comkulr8.comdailyinterlake.comkxlf.comaol.comdailymontanan.comflatheadbeacon.comktvh.commissoulacurrent.comwashingtonpost.comnytimes.comlegislation.ballotpedia.orgdata.ballotpedia.orgcdn.ballotpedia.orggovinfo.govhistory.house.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports lowering costs for Montanans including bringing down food, housing, and property taxes while opposing tariffs that raise prices; also emphasizes protecting Medicaid and support for family farms and ranchers. Positions combine targeted tax relief with support for public programs, producing a mixed pattern on economy and taxes.
Healthcare
Supports protecting access to health care and rural hospitals and opposes cuts to Medicaid that would threaten rural clinics; calls for restoring Medicaid funding to keep clinics open and make health care affordable for Montanans.
Polls
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Endorsements
MT-01 Democratic nominee?
Endorsers of Matt Rains for MT-01 Democratic nominee?
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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