HELENA - Montana voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide presidential and gubernatorial primaries – although local legislative races are the ones with the most political impact in the state. More than two-dozen Republican legislative primaries in all corners in the state feature contests between candidates from the party’s moderate and conservative wings, as each faction looks to control the 2017 Legislature. As of Tuesday morning, nearly 180,000 Montanans had already voted, via absentee ballots. Political observers say the absentee count indicates a relatively high voter turnout for a primary election, probably in the 40 percent to 50 percent...
