Mary grew up in Southwest Montana and graduated from Beaverhead County High School before earning a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the University of Montana.

Mary has experience in private practice, working in natural resources, family, and criminal law, and has done pro bono work for family services and the Women’s Resource Center. She has over 25 years of experience in banking, focusing on agricultural, real estate, and commercial lending. Additionally, she has served on two governor-appointed boards in Montana, the DNRC and the Petroleum Tank Release Board.

Ballotpedia: Mary Ann Nicholas

Mary Ann Nicholas' campaign for state representative is her first entry into politics.

Candidate website

The candidate's website says, "Private property ownership from owning your own home to owning a farm or ranch operation, is fundamental to a free market system."

Said, "Private property ownership from owning your own home to owning a farm or ranch operation, is fundamental to a free market system."

Said, "My years in banking gave me a background to understand both the vital role that agriculture plays in our local economy... I’ll work to support agriculture, an essential anchor in our Montana economy."

Plans to support agriculture as an important part of the economy.

Plans to ensure fiscal responsibility, supports tax cuts for businesses and property owners, and advocates for policies fostering job growth and a robust business climate in Montana.

Supports common sense conservative economic policies, advocates for small business growth, lower taxes, and agricultural interests, emphasizing individual liberty and rural community prosperity. Plans to leverage legal and local business experience to address state issues.

Supports "common sense conservative" economic policies, advocates for small business growth, lower taxes, and agricultural interests, emphasizing individual liberty and rural community prosperity, and plans to leverage legal and local business experience to address state issues.

- Said, "Private property ownership from owning your own home to owning a farm or ranch operation, is fundamental to a free market system."
- Plans to support agriculture as an important part of the economy.
- Plans to ensure fiscal responsibility, supports tax cuts for businesses and property owners, and advocates for policies fostering job growth and a robust business climate in Montana.
- Supports "common sense conservative" economic policies, advocates for small business growth, lower taxes, and agricultural interests, emphasizing individual liberty and rural community prosperity, and plans to leverage legal and local business experience to address state issues.

Economy

As of June 17, 2025, Mary Ann Nicholas’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Energy & the Environment

Said, "The cost and access is a concern for our state... Too many federal laws designed to bring down costs have driven up the price and burdened families trying to pay medical bills... There is also a shortage of medical professionals. I will work towards relieving this burden that has hit Montana families so hard."

Said, "Too many federal laws designed to bring down costs have driven up the price and burdened families trying to pay medical bills... There is also a shortage of medical professionals. I will work towards relieving this burden that has hit Montana families so hard."

Said, "I'm Pro-life and as a woman, I'm particularly focused on solutions to strengthen options for families and women in crisis."

- Said, "Too many federal laws designed to bring down costs have driven up the price and burdened families trying to pay medical bills... There is also a shortage of medical professionals. I will work towards relieving this burden that has hit Montana families so hard."
- Opposes abortion.

Healthcare

Said, "I am a gun owner and strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I will never stop defending our right to keep and bear arms."

Opposes gun control and supports the Second Amendment as a gun owner.

Said, "Keeping our community safe is a top priority. I will work with law enforcement to make sure they have the resources they need to keep our community safe."

- Opposes gun control and supports the Second Amendment as a gun owner.
- Said, "Keeping our community safe is a top priority. I will work with law enforcement to make sure they have the resources they need to keep our community safe."

Public Safety

Voting & Elections

Said, "I look forward to exploring and working with the issues around school choice and finding solutions that address all families."

Education

Facebook

Mary Ann Nicholas

Mike was born in Sandpoint, ID, and later moved to Dillon, MT, where he graduated from Beaverhead County High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Montana State University and a master's and doctorate in physics from Washington State University. Mike is married.

Mike has worked at Pfizer (Barrett Minerals) in a mill, at Alliant Techsystems (formerly Hercules) in Salt Lake City, UT, focusing on solid propellant rocket motors, and co-founded a computer and bookkeeping store named Aces Inc. in Dillon, MT.

Mike Klakken has served as a member of the Dillon City Council for 4 years and as Mayor of Dillon for 2 terms for a total of 8 years. He previously ran for Mayor of Dillon in 2009 and did not win, but won the position in 2013 and served until 2022. During his tenure as Mayor, he also served on the City-County Health Board.

Opposes central bank digital currency and changes to Montana's definition of "money"; supports revisiting the issue for citizen protection after the bill's failure in the last legislative session.

Supports fiscal conservatism and safeguarding individual rights in Montana. Advocates for outdoor enjoyment, livelihood, and family-raising. Calls for property tax system overhaul or elimination to protect homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, from losing homes to taxes.

Supports fiscal conservatism and safeguarding individual rights in Montana.

Opposes excessive taxation and spending by the state, supports reviewing departments for efficiency, and rejects federal regulations on natural gas, electric vehicles, and livestock that are impractical and costly for Montana.

Calls for property tax system overhaul or elimination to protect homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, from losing homes to taxes.

- Opposes central bank digital currency and changes to Montana's definition of "money"; supports revisiting the issue for citizen protection after the bill's failure in the last legislative session.
- Supports fiscal conservatism and safeguarding individual rights in Montana.
- Opposes excessive taxation and spending by the state, supports reviewing departments for efficiency, and rejects federal regulations on natural gas, electric vehicles, and livestock that are impractical and costly for Montana.
- Calls for property tax system overhaul or elimination to protect homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, from losing homes to taxes.

As of June 17, 2025, Mike Klakken’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Said, "Mentored students at the Parkview Junior High on writing computer code structured mainly as games and did job shadowing for Montana Youth Challenge on computers."

Has experience mentoring students at the Parkview Junior High on writing computer code structured mainly as games and did job shadowing for Montana Youth Challenge on computers.

- Has experience mentoring students at the Parkview Junior High on writing computer code structured mainly as games and did job shadowing for Montana Youth Challenge on computers.

Mike Klakken

Shannon grew up in north Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in animal science and a minor in agricultural economics. Shannon and his wife have two children. Shannon serves as the finance chairman of the Beaverhead County Republican Central Committee, where he has also held the position of secretary/treasurer.

Shannon is currently an elected trustee of the Dillon Elementary School Board. He has worked as a cutting horse trainer, real estate agent, and UPS delivery driver. After moving to Montana, he worked as a hunting guide and in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. He later managed a local recreational ranch before starting his own business, Blacktail Appliance Repair, in 2018.

Shannon Maness' campaign for state representative is his first entry into politics.

Supports prudent budgeting by legislators, endorsing limited, efficient spending, minimal taxes, reduced debt, fewer regulations, and privatization to stimulate job creation, increase tax revenue, and enhance personal financial stability across all socio-economic levels.

Believes agriculture significantly impacts the county's economy, providing 8.61% of jobs directly and approximately 24% when including related industries, with national forests contributing to economic activities like grazing and logging.

Supports policies that lower energy costs, ensure fair resource regulation, protect property rights, safeguard U.S. land ownership, enhance biosecurity, manage predators, promote free trade, and assist young farmers through rural development and reduced bureaucracy for innovation.

Supports Montana's HB 251 signed by Governor Gianforte, appreciating the positive impact on taxpayers with reduced income tax rates from 2024 and a fairer approach to capital gains, despite increased complexity.

Said, "I have an opportunity to encourage global market opportunities for Montana commodities. In fact, history shows that diplomacy excursions for U.S. agricultural commodities by state officials is highly productive for developing markets internationally."

Supports safeguarding private property rights from excessive government intervention and foreign acquisition, viewing such protection as a cornerstone of American economic liberty, from early pioneers to contemporary consumer markets.

Opposes federal overreach, citing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Missouri River proposal and failure to compensate for tax-exempt lands, which jeopardizes Lima School District's financial stability.

Supports Montana's constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, equating fiscal responsibility of the state with that of businesses and families managing finances to avoid debt and prosper.

Said, "As your representative, I will always be a strong voice for ag in Montana… With what seems like a war on food producers coming from the federal government, we must be vigilant to protect producers from ever increasing regulation."

Supports incentives to create a two-parent family through breaks for "married, filing jointly" tax status, child tax credits, and education savings accounts.

- Supports prudent budgeting by legislators, endorsing limited, efficient spending, minimal taxes, reduced debt, fewer regulations, and privatization to stimulate job creation, increase tax revenue, and enhance personal financial stability across all socio-economic levels.
- Believes agriculture significantly impacts the county's economy, providing 8.61% of jobs directly and approximately 24% when including related industries, with national forests contributing to economic activities like grazing and logging.
- Supports policies that lower energy costs, ensure fair resource regulation, protect property rights, safeguard U.S. land ownership, enhance biosecurity, manage predators, promote free trade, and assist young farmers through rural development and reduced bureaucracy for innovation.
- Supports Montana's HB 251 signed by Governor Gianforte, appreciating the positive impact on taxpayers with reduced income tax rates from 2024 and a fairer approach to capital gains, despite increased complexity.
- Said, "I have an opportunity to encourage global market opportunities for Montana commodities. In fact, history shows that diplomacy excursions for U.S. agricultural commodities by state officials is highly productive for developing markets internationally."
- Supports safeguarding private property rights from excessive government intervention and foreign acquisition, viewing such protection as a cornerstone of American economic liberty, from early pioneers to contemporary consumer markets.
- Opposes federal overreach, citing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Missouri River proposal and failure to compensate for tax-exempt lands, which jeopardizes Lima School District's financial stability.
- Supports Montana's constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, equating fiscal responsibility of the state with that of businesses and families managing finances to avoid debt and prosper.
- Said, "As your representative, I will always be a strong voice for ag in Montana… With what seems like a war on food producers coming from the federal government, we must be vigilant to protect producers from ever increasing regulation."
- Supports incentives to create a two-parent family through breaks for "married, filing jointly" tax status, child tax credits, and education savings accounts.

Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for vigorous forest management through tree harvesting and grazing... which provides... and importantly, reduces forest floor fuel load, for sound, economically effective, property and life-saving forest fire suppression strategies."

The candidate's website says, "Improvements in forage land and water sources also benefit local wildlife populations, which improves hunting throughout the region."

Supports improvement in forage land and water sources, believing they also benefit local wildlife populations, which improves hunting throughout the region.

Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for food safety and security based reliable scientific research... not on... Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG—also known in agriculture as “transformative investment”), which diverts resources from profitable food, fiber and fuel production..."

Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for food safety and security based reliable scientific research... not on... Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG—also known in agriculture as “transformative investment”), which diverts resources from profitable food, fiber and fuel production."

Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for a diversity of production systems... based on each operation’s specific environment or ecosystem, and protect agricultural producers from drastic climate crisis policies or agendas from the globalist United Nations and World Economic Forum, non-governmental organizations/environmentalist extremists..."

Advocates for a "diversity of production systems... based on each operation’s specific environment or ecosystem" and the protection of agricultural producers from "drastic climate crisis policies or agendas from the globalist United Nations and World Economic Forum, non-governmental organizations/environmentalist extremists."

- Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for vigorous forest management through tree harvesting and grazing... which provides... and importantly, reduces forest floor fuel load, for sound, economically effective, property and life-saving forest fire suppression strategies."
- Supports improvement in forage land and water sources, believing they also benefit local wildlife populations, which improves hunting throughout the region.
- Said, "I have an opportunity to advocate for food safety and security based reliable scientific research... not on... Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG—also known in agriculture as “transformative investment”), which diverts resources from profitable food, fiber and fuel production."
- Advocates for a "diversity of production systems... based on each operation’s specific environment or ecosystem" and the protection of agricultural producers from "drastic climate crisis policies or agendas from the globalist United Nations and World Economic Forum, non-governmental organizations/environmentalist extremists."

Said, "Our system is broken... Healthcare is not a right... the current system is unsustainable. We must work to bring back individual responsibility... While many people are trying to create a federal healthcare system to cover everyone, I will work to make sure that doesn’t happen. I will instead focus my efforts on helping to create a system that is sustainable and attracts the best and brightest individuals back to the field of medicine."

Opposes a federal healthcare system that tries to meet general needs, and looks to create an individualized system that meets people's personal needs.

The candidate's website says, "To say that healthcare in this country is a mess is a gross understatement... Since Obamacare was introduced, things have only gotten worse... Unfortunately, most of the decisions related to healthcare are made at the federal level... This situation leaves states scrambling to do the best they can with what they have... Ultimately the solution will be for federal legislature to remove constraints and move us to a free market style of healthcare... We constantly hear of prospective doctors and nurses who don’t enter the field because they don’t want to face extra red tape and decreased pay schedules."

Supports a free market style of healthcare that allows the states to make healthcare decisions.

Said, "As your state representative, I will look at the numbers and the pros and cons to help our state make the best decisions possible to protect our most vulnerable... If someone goes to the hospital for care and has no insurance or ability to pay, the hospital will still treat the person but then receive no payment... Neither of these options is a viable long-term solution."

Said, "Personal responsibility is one of the greatest determinants of health... People are the least active and mobile that they have ever been but are consuming more calories and processed foods. This in turn leads to an unhealthy population and obvious increases in healthcare costs... We have created a culture of irresponsibility in this area because there are no costs incurred for the medical care. Poor lifestyle choices by some shouldn’t cause the costs of healthcare for everyone else to increase... If you choose to engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices and not take care of yourself, then it isn’t someone else’s job to pay for your care later in life."

Said, "Poor lifestyle choices by some shouldn’t cause the costs of healthcare for everyone else to increase... If you choose to engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices and not take care of yourself, then it isn’t someone else’s job to pay for your care later in life."

Said, "I believe that life begins at conception and that this new life should be protected just like any other life... The people of Montana have many spirited debates on this issue, and it should be settled by the legislature... In any case, we need to support life and families... We need to ensure that children have the best opportunity to thrive in life... We should incentivize that through the tax structure, through breaks for 'married, filing jointly' tax filing status, child tax credits and education savings accounts."

- Opposes a federal healthcare system that tries to meet general needs, and looks to create an individualized system that meets people's personal needs.
- Supports a free market style of healthcare that allows the states to make healthcare decisions.
- Said, "As your state representative, I will look at the numbers and the pros and cons to help our state make the best decisions possible to protect our most vulnerable... If someone goes to the hospital for care and has no insurance or ability to pay, the hospital will still treat the person but then receive no payment... Neither of these options is a viable long-term solution."
- Said, "Poor lifestyle choices by some shouldn’t cause the costs of healthcare for everyone else to increase... If you choose to engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices and not take care of yourself, then it isn’t someone else’s job to pay for your care later in life."
- Opposes abortion.

Opposes incremental laws that erode gun rights under public safety guise, criticizes "Gun Free Zones," and views expansions of "Red Flag" laws as potential for administrative overreach and constitutional infringement.

The candidate's website says, "It is never good when a person intentionally kills another person, no matter the weapon. We have buried too many kids, too many innocent bystanders, and too many targeted groups... because of death by firearm. ... Those intent on doing harm will find a way... This is exactly why we need to maintain our right to self-defense and responsible firearm use is one of the most effective means for defending ourselves and our property..."

Said, "We need to maintain our right to self-defense and responsible firearm use is one of the most effective means for defending ourselves and our property."

Said, "Another avenue for infringing on our second amendment right is by making ownership and use cost- prohibitive through excessive taxes, bringing lawsuits against gun and ammunition manufactures, and banning certain affordable bullets."

Supports robust Second Amendment rights, opposes federal gun control, and plans to protect Montana's open carry and concealed carry laws without permits, ensuring state non-compliance with federal regulations that restrict gun ownership.

Supports the Second Amendment's provision for individual firearm ownership for self-defense, as confirmed by the 2008 Supreme Court, and values the extended use of arms for hunting and food security.

Said, "Encouraging responsible gun use through successful education programs such as 4-H shooting sports is one way we can help our citizenry help itself... I will advocate for robust law enforcement... And I will remain ready to defend our second amendment right."

- Opposes incremental laws that erode gun rights under public safety guise, criticizes "Gun Free Zones," and views expansions of "Red Flag" laws as potential for administrative overreach and constitutional infringement.
- Said, "We need to maintain our right to self-defense and responsible firearm use is one of the most effective means for defending ourselves and our property."
- Said, "Another avenue for infringing on our second amendment right is by making ownership and use cost- prohibitive through excessive taxes, bringing lawsuits against gun and ammunition manufactures, and banning certain affordable bullets."
- Supports robust Second Amendment rights, opposes federal gun control, and plans to protect Montana's open carry and concealed carry laws without permits, ensuring state non-compliance with federal regulations that restrict gun ownership.
- Supports the Second Amendment's provision for individual firearm ownership for self-defense, as confirmed by the 2008 Supreme Court, and values the extended use of arms for hunting and food security.
- Said, "Encouraging responsible gun use through successful education programs such as 4-H shooting sports is one way we can help our citizenry help itself... I will advocate for robust law enforcement... And I will remain ready to defend our second amendment right."

As of June 17, 2025, Shannon Maness’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Believes in quality education's importance for Montana's future, with local school boards' decision-making key to tailoring education to community needs; supports local authority, as evidenced by their role as a trustee in School District 10.

Supports charter and trade schools in Montana, advocating for educational choices and vocational training to address workforce shortages in trades and enable youth to prosper locally.

Believes in education over indoctrination, opposes Critical Race Theory and Woke ideology in schools, supports teaching history's full spectrum, and champions capitalism's role in poverty alleviation while condemning socialism's death toll. Plans to back parents and students for quality education.

Said, "The big issue with public education is the issue of “indoctrination vs education,” and I believe schools should only be in the business of education."

Said, "As a current local school board member, I realize the important contribution of property taxes on the sustainability of our public schools. ... I recognize a new day is dawning for education in our state and across America, and I am eager to work with my state house colleagues on solutions to solve problems associated with modern public education, primarily because of federal agencies usurping the rights and personal responsibilities of parents and local communities."

Said, "As a current local school board member, I realize the important contribution of property taxes on the sustainability of our public schools."

- Believes in quality education's importance for Montana's future, with local school boards' decision-making key to tailoring education to community needs; supports local authority, as evidenced by their role as a trustee in School District 10.
- Supports charter and trade schools in Montana, advocating for educational choices and vocational training to address workforce shortages in trades and enable youth to prosper locally.
- Opposes education about race and racism.
- Said, "The big issue with public education is the issue of “indoctrination vs education,” and I believe schools should only be in the business of education."
- Said, "As a current local school board member, I realize the important contribution of property taxes on the sustainability of our public schools."

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Shannon Maness

- Your State Representative participates in the legislative process at the state level. They are one of 100 members of the Montana House of Representatives. The Montana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Montana State Legislature (the state's lawmaking body).
- Your State Representative drafts laws, approves budgets, has oversight of the state executive branch, and debates and votes on proposed laws.
- In addition to drafting and voting on bills, your State Representative can serve on committees. This is important because many bills can be stalled in committee, preventing them making it to a vote.
- Your State Representative is responsible for representing your interests. They also are responsible for helping you navigate the state's services and bringing back resources to your district.
- State Representatives are elected to a 2-year term. Individuals can serve no more than 8 years in a 16-year period.

Montana State Representative, District 70, Republican Primary

Election results

Candidates (3)