BILLINGS — Republican-backed candidates struggled in Billings' six municipal races Tuesday night.
The six races on the ballot included five City Council seats as well as mayor of Billings, and Republican-endorsed candidates led in only two races as of Wednesday.
Watch this video to learn about those results:
The mayoral race proved to be the most competitive, and results remain up in the air. Billings businessman Mike Nelson currently holds a 39.1-percent-to-38.48-percent lead over City Council member Jennifer Owen with nearly 700 rejected ballots still being counted.
"It's a real nail-biter," Nelson said Wednesday morning. "It's tense. It's been a great roller coaster ride."
At one point on Tuesday, Nelson led Owen by just four votes, but on Wednesday morning that lead had stretched to 185. Nelson's team posted on his campaign Facebook page thanking "voters in our great city for trusting me as your next Mayor".
"It's an honor to have people vote for you," Nelson said. "It's a humbling experience to know that the things that I've said or the things my campaign has said rang true to people."
While Nelson is celebrating, the Yellowstone County Republican Committee is not. The Republicans endorsed Owen, and three of the City Council candidates they endorsed are also losing. Those candidates are TJ Rogers in Ward 3, David Redmon in Ward 1 and Daniel Tidswell in Ward 4.
"We were really hoping to get that conservative voice back on City Council," said committee chair Pam Purinton Wednesday. "Generally speaking, Yellowstone County or Billings is considered conservative."
The Yellowstone County Republicans endorsed two leading candidates: Denis Pitman in Ward 2 and Tony O'Donnell in Ward 5.
Purinton said that while city government positions are non-partisan, the GOP committee gives endorsements to provide "transparency" into each candidate.
"We endorsed candidates that we've vetted," Purinton, a former Billings City Council member, said. "Some of these people we've known for years."
Nelson said he did everything he could to keep party lines out of the race.
"You need to put the needs of the people and the city first before anyone else," said Nelson, who was endorsed by the Billings Chamber of Commerce and the Billings firefighters' union, among others.
University of Montana journalism professor Lee Banville said it isn't uncommon to see a shift following big elections.
"Politics is a little bit of a pendulum," Banville said. "The first elections that happen after that big national election seem to be kind of anti-whoever is in charge."
Nationwide shifts can be expected, and they also can trickle down to local elections. Banville said one election doesn't necessarily make a trend.
"It's hard to draw a big, sweeping conclusion," Banville said. "I certainly wouldn't project this any further ahead than maybe the next election."
Nelson said that he's ready to serve if he remains ahead once the results are official on Nov. 18.
"I'm excited," Nelson said. "I'm ready to get to work."
