Haley McKnight

Haley McKnight

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Helena City Commission

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

High school

West Forsyth High School

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina Greensboro, 2021

Personal

Birthplace

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Retail Manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Haley McKnight is running for election to the Helena City Commission in Montana. McKnight is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. McKnight advanced from the primary on September 9, 2025.

McKnight completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Haley McKnight was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. McKnight earned a high school diploma from West Forsyth High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2021. McKnight's career experience includes working as a retail manager. As of 2025, McKnight was affiliated with Helena Young Professionals and the Montana Jewish Project.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Helena, Montana (2025)

General election

General election for Helena City Commission (2 seats)

Incumbent Melinda Reed, Haley McKnight, Ben Rigby, and Shawn White Wolf are running in the general election for Helena City Commission on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Melinda Reed (Nonpartisan)
		Haley McKnight (Nonpartisan)
		Ben Rigby (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Shawn White Wolf (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Helena City Commission (2 seats)

Incumbent Melinda Reed, Ben Rigby, Haley McKnight, and Shawn White Wolf defeated Brenton Craggs in the primary for Helena City Commission on September 9, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melinda Reed (Nonpartisan)	35.6	5,939
✔		Ben Rigby (Nonpartisan)	23.4	3,898
✔		Haley McKnight (Nonpartisan)	22.2	3,702
✔	Submit photo	Shawn White Wolf (Nonpartisan)	10.9	1,827
	Submit photo	Brenton Craggs (Nonpartisan)	7.1	1,185
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	140

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 16,691
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Haley McKnight completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McKnight's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and am the product of an excellent public school system. I graduated from UNC Greensboro with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the Prevention Resource Center, serving children in the Butte School District. I have been the manager of Sage & Oats Trading Post, a successful Native American-owned gift store, for four years and owner of Morningstar Design Ltd Co, a consulting and design business. I currently serve as President of the Helena Young Professionals, where I have been a board member for five years. In 2024, I was the recipient of the Helena Chamber's 20 Under 40 Award. I am an active participant in my community and vocal advocate for change. As an organizer of Hometown Helena, I have worked hard to keep our grassroots nonpartisan forum accessible to everyone. In my work with the League of Women Voters, I have helped register voters and promoted voter registration for underserved communities. I have worked closely with the Last Chance Pow Wow to promote Native American culture in Helena. As a board member of Helena Young Professionals, I have worked hard to combat the loneliness epidemic in our community by connecting young people with their peers and local organizations. I am always ready to stand up for what I believe and challenge the status quo. I live in downtown Helena with my husband, two cats, and three chickens.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• It's the City's responsibility to maintain the services we pay for. Our water should taste right. Our streets should be plowed. Our intersections shouldn't cost $3.5 million dollars to improve. As the largest tax base and the cultural heart of the City, Downtown Helena deserves to be accessible, beautiful, and well-maintained.
• I want to make our streets safer and more accessible for cyclists, wheelchair-users, strollers, and pedestrians. Being car-less shouldn't be crippling in the Capitol. I want a bus system that works for everyone, runs on time, and that you don't need a phone to access.
• I'm committed to supporting and expanding our outdoor spaces, protecting wildlife habitat, finishing Centennial Trail, and enriching our free public events. Alive @ 5, Art Walk, our parades, and murals make Helena a vibrant place to live. I'm ready to cut red tape, stand up to NIMBYism, and keep Helena awesome!

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe everyone deserves not just to to live with dignity, but to thrive in my city. I am a strong advocate for the LGBTQIA2S community, Native American rights, economic justice, voting rights, the arts, and environmental protections.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My grandmothers are some of the greatest role models I have ever had. I'm lucky to have been brought up by such strong, determined women. My grandmother Ann (my namesake) came up from orphanhood in Appalachia to become one of the very first women to own a construction company in the Southeast and was a major donor for community projects in my hometown. My grandmother Hilda was the daughter of sharecroppers, and she raised tobacco to put herself through college and eventually become a pillar of the community as a faith leader and folk artist. Their resilience through poverty, multiple wars, and abuse is commendable, but their commitment to making their world a brighter place with opportunity for all is what's truly amazing about them.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Cool Hand Luke. It might be a strange choice, but Luke's attitude is something I try to follow in my own life. We make things better for the people around us, despite the oppressive systems that try to break us. I also have some pretty fiery opinions on parking meters.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

You have to work for your people. Lobbyists can afford to show up and take you to dinner, but a true public servant seeks out their neighbors and asks them what they think. Being accessible and honest, a real role model for people to follow, is something every elected official should strive for.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I pride myself in my accessibility to my community. As the manager of a small business in the heart of downtown, people come in all day to tell me about the goings-on of Helena. I make it my job to connect people with the information they need, and to act when I see something wrong. I'm passionate, determined, and resilient. I'm proud to come from a very politically engaged family, where I was encouraged from kindergarten to learn about and participate in civics. Most people who know me will say that my greatest asset is my kindness.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. My mother was working for US Airways at the time, and the experience was very traumatic for her. I was just shy of 6 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first paid job was starring in an indie thriller movie when I was 17. The shoot was about two months. One of the most unique experiences I've ever had!

What is your favorite book? Why?

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It's one of those epic stories that encompasses almost the whole range of human feeling. I'm a sucker for books with magical realism and determined matriarchs.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It could be, but I believe the best public servants are regular citizens. I'm inspired by people who are called to the challenge rather than groomed for it.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

Everything starts at the local level. The city commission has the power to hire and fire (and direct) the city manager, who controls public works and infrastructure for the entire city. All of this has a ripple effect out to other Montana communities. Commissioners are frequently the front line for public information, especially in a small town like Helena. It's often easier for citizens to shoot their commissioner a Facebook message than wait for a news outlet to report.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Former mayor Jim Smith, state senator Mary Ann Dunwell

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Citizens have a right to know what their government is doing. Whether that's spraying for weeds or major infrastructure projects, it should be as easy for citizens to find the information they want as it is to pay a utility bill. I don't believe in closed-door meetings. Single moms should have the same (if not better!) access to our government spaces as lobbyists.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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