As the Montana General Election on November 3, 2026 approaches, E-City Beat will be publishing a series of detailed campaign finance summaries for each of the local candidates for state legislature.
All of the information and data in these summaries is extracted from the campaign finance reports filed so far by the candidates and are available to the public on the COPP website – Campaign Electronic Reporting System
Consolidated Candidate Campaign Finance Report
Candidate: Valynda F. Holland
Office sought: Montana Senate District 11
Political party: Democratic
Reports combined: February 12–May 15, 2026
Reports reviewed: Initial report and two periodic reports.
Combined Financial Summary
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Beginning cash on hand | $0.00 |
| Total receipts deposited | $2,022.09 |
| Individual contributions | $1,492.00 |
| Candidate loans | $525.00 |
| Refund received | $5.09 |
| Total expenditures | $1,792.97 |
| Ending cash on hand | $229.12 |
| Unpaid debts reported | $6,702.57 |
The $2,022.09 in total receipts consists of $1,492 in individual donations, $525 in candidate loans and a $5.09 Hobby Lobby refund. The mathematical change from $0 beginning cash to $229.12 ending cash reconciles with the combined receipts and expenditures.
Cash-on-Hand Progression
| Reporting period | Beginning cash | Receipts | Expenditures | Ending cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 12–March 15 | $0.00 | $691.09 | $653.34 | $37.75 |
| March 16–April 15 | $37.75 | $619.00 | $461.01 | $195.74 |
| April 16–May 15 | $195.74 | $712.00 | $678.62 | $229.12 |
| Combined | $0.00 | $2,022.09 | $1,792.97 | $229.12 |
Combined Individual Contributors
Duplicate donors appearing in more than one filing have been combined.
| Contributor | Occupation/Employer | Full address | Combined amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steinberg, Peter D. | Engineer; Turnitin | 6 Carriage Way, Missoula, MT 59802 | $470.00 |
| Smith, Melissa | Pianist; self-employed/Melissa Smith | 2736 Clover Dr., Great Falls, MT 59404 | $100.00 |
| Jefferson, Paul | Retired/not employed | 177 Ross Rd., Great Falls, MT 59405 | $100.00 |
| Leigland, Vickie | Not employed | 245 Rainbow Ct., Great Falls, MT 59404 | $100.00 |
| Shultz, Robert | Floor Runner; Town Pump Inc. | 301 Main Street, Anaconda, MT 59711 | $66.00 |
| Bjork, Terry | Programmer; self | 3622 4th Ave. S., Great Falls, MT 59405 | $58.00 |
| Lovick, Helena | Patent Agent; Stites & Harbison | 1009 4th Ave. North, Great Falls, MT 59401 | $50.00 |
| Mitchell, Margret | Owner; LMT LLC | 4780 13th St. South, Great Falls, MT 59405 | $50.00 |
| Bergerson, Robert | Not employed | 844 Yellowstone, Billings, MT 59101 | $50.00 |
| Moore, Rina | Appraiser; Cornerstone Appraisals | 200 13th St. N., Great Falls, MT 59401 | $50.00 |
| Patton-Griffin, Sharon | Not employed | 256 Dune Drive, Great Falls, MT 59404 | $50.00 |
| Toole, Ken | Not employed | P.O. Box 547, Cascade, MT 59421 | $50.00 |
| Williams, Ambalika | Consultant; Musa | 4200 Scotland St., Apt. 126, Houston, TX 77007 | $50.00 |
| Reilly, Neill | Not employed/unemployed | 229 Tana Lane, Livingston, MT 59047 | $47.00 |
| McGuffin, Patrick | Not employed | 300 42nd Ave. N., Great Falls, MT 59404 | $35.00 |
| Cooper, Carlton | Military; Department of Defense | 428 Moray Dr. SW, Palm Bay, FL 32908 | $33.00 |
| Dow, Nancy | Not employed | 3805 7th St. N., Great Falls, MT 59404 | $33.00 |
| Ratliff, Lindsey | Teacher; Havre Public Schools | 736 1st Ave., Havre, MT 59501 | $33.00 |
| Millar, Ron | Political and PAC Manager; Center for Freethought Equality | 1104-C N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22201 | $25.00 |
| Kunz, Dylan | Not employed | 530 6th Avenue, Havre, MT 59501 | $20.00 |
| Felde, Tawnee | Not employed | 709 Washington St., Deer Lodge, MT 59722 | $11.00 |
| Hancock, Joe | Accounting Analyst; Montana State University–Bozeman | 1084 Forestglen Dr., Apt. D, Bozeman, MT 59718 | $11.00 |
| Total individual contributions | $1,492.00 |
The contributor information and spellings above follow the disclosures as filed. Some capitalization, occupation entries and address formatting vary between reports.
Candidate Loans
| Date | Lender | Purpose | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 13, 2026 | Valynda F. Holland | Campaign expenses paid with personal funds | $15.00 | New loan |
| February 19, 2026 | Valynda F. Holland | Campaign expenses paid with personal funds | $10.00 | New loan |
| February 25, 2026 | Valynda F. Holland | Campaign expenses paid with personal funds | $500.00 | New loan |
| Total | $525.00 | Outstanding in initial filing |
These are three separate candidate loans, not one loan carried forward from an earlier report. The initial report lists a combined balance due of $525. Later reports show “no entries found” under loans, but they do not show a loan-payment transaction. Therefore, the documents provided do not clearly establish that the $525 obligation was repaid or forgiven.
Committee Contributions
None reported in any of the three filings.
Candidate Contributions
None reported as candidate contributions. The candidate’s $525 in personal funds was classified as loans rather than contributions.
Refunds
| Date | Vendor | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2026 | Hobby Lobby | Refund of an earlier campaign-supply purchase | $5.09 |
Combined Expenditure Summary
The campaign reported $1,792.97 in paid expenditures over the three filings. Spending centered on campaign events, travel, meals, supplies, digital subscriptions, voter outreach and payment-processing charges.
Notable paid expenses
| Vendor/category | Purpose | Reported amount |
|---|---|---|
| ActBlue | Mansfield–Metcalf fundraiser donation | $105.00 |
| La Quinta Inns and Suites | Overnight campaign lodging | $100.00 |
| Mailchimp | Email advertising | $65.00 |
| Conoco | Campaign travel/fuel | $61.95 |
| Staples | Business cards | $55.28 |
| Walmart | Campaign supplies | $48.67 |
| Albertsons | Yard-sign gift bags/supplies | $44.46 |
| Hobby Lobby | Campaign supplies | $43.62 |
| ActBlue | Cascade County Democrats fundraiser | $40.00 |
| SquareSpace | Website operation | $36.00 |
| Double G Engraving | Campaign name badges | $36.31 |
| Apple | Canva and CapCut subscriptions | $34.99 |
| Celtic Cowboy | Campaign kickoff food | $30.00 |
| Celtic Cowboy | Campaign kickoff food | $29.25 |
| River North News | Campaign travel meal | $26.75 |
| Blackfoot River Brewing Co. | Campaign meeting meal | $25.00 |
| Montana City Grill | Campaign meeting meal | $25.00 |
| Rockies Kitchen & Bar | Campaign travel meal | $24.87 |
| Amazon | Campaign supplies | $24.39 |
| United States Postal Service | Stamps/postage | $23.40 |
| Amazon | Campaign supplies | $22.98 |
| Celtic Cowboy | Campaign meeting food and drinks | $21.96 |
| Conoco | Fuel | $20.00 |
| Adobe | Software subscription | $19.99 per reported charge |
| Apple | ChatGPT subscription | $19.99 per reported charge |
| Apple | Canva/CapCut subscription | $34.99 per reported charge |
| Secretary of State | Candidate filing fee | $15.00 |
Other payments included numerous small ActBlue fees, Microsoft and Apple services, website and email services, campaign meetings, postage, office materials, food, parking and other campaign supplies.
Outstanding Debts
The most recent filing disclosed substantial unpaid obligations that are not included in the $1,792.97 paid-expenditure total.
| Creditor | Purpose | Date | Amount due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings Times | 500 yard signs, 1,000 palm cards and 2,000 postcards | April 29, 2026 | $6,052.68 |
| Billings Times | 2,000 palm cards | May 5, 2026 | $339.89 |
| Freeze Frame Official | Professional photo shoot | May 13, 2026 | $250.00 |
| Billings Times | Campaign banner | May 13, 2026 | $60.00 |
| Total outstanding debt | $6,702.57 |
No debt payments were listed in the filing.
Summary and Observations
Fundraising: Holland received $1,492 from individual contributors. The largest donor was Peter Steinberg at $470, representing approximately 31.5% of all individual contributions. The four largest aggregated contributors—Steinberg, Smith, Jefferson and Leigland—provided $770, or roughly 51.6% of individual donations.
Candidate financing: Holland advanced $525 of personal money through three loans during the first reporting period. The reports do not document a repayment, although subsequent filings do not repeat the loans.
Spending: Paid expenditures totaled $1,792.97, about 88.7% of all receipts. The campaign finished with only $229.12 in the bank.
Debt exposure: The most significant financial issue is the additional $6,702.57 in unpaid debts, principally for printed voter-outreach materials. Outstanding debt was more than 29 times the campaign’s ending cash balance.
Actual financial position: Although the filing showed $229.12 cash on hand, subtracting the disclosed unpaid debts produces a negative net position of approximately $6,473.45, before considering the unresolved $525 candidate-loan balance.
Donor geography: Most contributions came from Montana, particularly Great Falls and other Montana communities. Out-of-state donations were reported from Florida, Virginia and Texas.
Recurring operating costs: The campaign repeatedly paid for ActBlue processing, digital subscriptions, website hosting, email services and campaign supplies. Individual charges were generally modest, but recurring subscription and service costs accumulated across the three periods.
Overall: The campaign increased fundraising over time and ended each reporting period with a positive bank balance. However, the large printing and photography debts reported in May substantially outweighed available cash and represent the campaign’s clearest financial vulnerability.