Biography
Michael Hagestad is the Republican candidate for the Montana House of Representatives, District 97, in the November 3, 2026 general election, having advanced from the Republican primary on June 2, 2026.[1][3] A lawyer, he says his campaign centers on lowering the cost of living for Montanans.[1][2]
Michael Hagestad graduated from Wickenburg High School, earned a bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College in 2021 and a law degree from the University of Montana in 2024.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he is from Missoula, is married with two children and practices law in Montana.[2]
Hagestad said in the survey that housing, taxes and insurance premiums are the easiest targets for lowering living costs.[2] He said he would limit municipalities' ability to pass restrictive zoning and levy high taxes, reduce the property tax burden and the state tax burden, and look into what it would take to lower insurance premiums.[2]
- 1.Michael Hagestad - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Michael Hagestad - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
- 3.Montana House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Montana House District 97
Michael Hagestad is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Montana House District 97 as R. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.
