I'm scared because the Republicans are going to do everything possible to make sure that a Republican fills that seat. But I'm hopeful because I think many of the newcomers that are increasing Montana's population are from California. I have no evidence of this, . . . wait! Here's something:
Californians moving to Montana outpace Montanans moving to California
MISSOULA, Mont. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more people moving out of California each year than there are moving in. The main reason cited is the cost of living is too high in California.
Between 2016 and 2018, 15,611 Californians moved to Montana. Some 6,562 Montanans moved to California in those three years.
According to U-Hauls website, its actually more expensive to move to Montana from California than vice versa.
To compare, on one day in December, the cost to rent a 20-foot truck, if you pick it up in Missoula to move to San Francisco, is $653. The same size truck costs $3,336 to pick up in San Francisco en route to Missoula.
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/californians-moving-to-montana-outpace-montanans-moving-to-california
So what with the high cost of living in California, plus the devastating wildfires, this trend might continue. Fingers crossed that a lot of them will be Democrats.