---
title: "Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: Montana campaign finance"
description: "Money reported by Melissa Romano as a candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2020 Montana election."
type: "candidacy"
name: "Melissa Romano"
slug: "candidacies/melissa-romano-g232998-2020-superintendent-of-public-instruction-c15962"
candidate_id: 15962
election_year: 2020
office: "Superintendent of Public Instruction"
party: "Democratic"
person_page: "/people/melissa-romano-g232998"
public_url: "https://tcers-public.406dc.net/profiles/candidate/15962"
data_through: "2026-09-30"
generated_at: "2026-09-30"
source: "Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (CERS)"
---


# Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: Montana campaign finance

In 2020, Melissa Romano ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction as a Democratic candidate. This page holds the money reported for that candidacy only. Melissa Romano's other candidacies are listed on [Melissa Romano's candidate record](/people/melissa-romano-g232998). Data through 2026-09-30.

This candidacy (Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020) on the Montana campaign finance public site: https://tcers-public.406dc.net/profiles/candidate/15962

## Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: summary of money reported, data through 2026-09-30

| Figure | Amount | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions received in cash, net of refunds | $415,744.88 | 7,900 |
| Contributions received in cash, as filed | $431,250.88 | |
| Refunded to contributors | $15,506.00 | |
| In-kind contributions (goods and services, not cash) | $999.44 | |
| Other receipts (not contributions) | $0.00 | 0 |
| Expenditures, net of refunds received | $415,752.78 | 390 |
| Expenditures, as filed | $431,258.78 | |
| Debts and loans still owed | $0.00 | 0 |

Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: $415,744.88 in cash contributions, net of refunds, plus $999.44 given in kind; $415,752.78 spent; $0.00 still owed. Data through 2026-09-30.

Totals above are net of refunds, and so are the largest-contributor amounts below, with the as-filed and refunded figures shown beside any row that was refunded. The line-by-line contribution rows are as filed, before any refund.

These figures are for Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020. These figures follow the same rules as the public campaign finance site, because they come from it. Only filed reports count. Money a campaign moves between its own accounts is left out, because it is not new money. The contribution figure is cash, as on the state's Cash Summary, and goods and services given in kind are reported beside it, never inside it. Refunds paid back to contributors are subtracted. Other receipts are interest, rebates and similar receipts, not donations. A debt is money still owed, not money spent, and a loan repaid in full is not listed as owed.

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: where the money came from, data through 2026-09-30

Contributions to Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020 from Montana addresses as filed: at least $387,217.51 (3,823 contributors). From out-of-state addresses as filed: at least $28,165.98 (635 contributors). The candidate's own money: $1,168.33. With no state on the filing: $192.50 (3 contributors). Address as reported by the filer; not verified. Amounts are net of refunds and cover every contributor, not only those listed below.

| Where from | Amount, net of refunds | Contributors |
|---|---|---|
| Montana addresses as filed | $387,217.51 | 3,823 |
| Out-of-state addresses as filed | $28,165.98 | 635 |
| The candidate's own money | $1,168.33 | 1 |
| No state on the filing | $192.50 | 3 |

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: money by year, data through 2026-09-30

| Year | Contributions, net of refunds | In-kind | Spent | Still owed | Contribution lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $35,622.00 | $284.44 | $4,700.10 | $0.00 | 512 |
| 2020 | $380,122.88 | $715.00 | $411,031.82 | $0.00 | 7,388 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20.86 | $0.00 | 0 |

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest contributors, rows 1 to 25 of 50, data through 2026-09-30

| Contributor | From | Given, net of refunds | Refunded | Of which in-kind | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest contributors, rows 1 to 25 of 50, data through 2026-09-30 |  |  |  |  |  |
| MONTANA DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE NON FEDERAL | Helena, MT | $5,111.00 |  |  | 1 |
| Melissa Romano *(the candidate's own money)* | Helena, MT | $1,168.33 |  | $804.00 | 5 |
| CHARLIE DONNES | Billings, MT | $920.00 | $140.00 |  | 8 |
| Chris Pope | Bozeman, MT | $860.00 |  |  | 3 |
| Madison County Democratic Central Committee | Ennis, MT | $750.00 |  |  | 1 |
| Hill County Democratic Central Committee | Havre, MT | $750.00 |  |  | 1 |
| LeRoy Schramm | Helena, MT | $720.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Klaus von Stutterheim | Seeley Lake, MT | $700.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Sarah Sullivan | Helena, MT | $660.00 | $140.00 |  | 2 |
| Michael Ganz | Billings, MT | $660.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Thomas Kelly | Bozeman, MT | $650.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Gary Aitken | Ovando, MT | $590.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Elizabeth Scanlin | Red Lodge, MT | $560.00 | $450.00 |  | 7 |
| Carolyn Boyd | Bozeman, MT | $560.00 | $360.00 |  | 3 |
| Barbara Lodman | Lewistown, MT | $560.00 | $30.00 |  | 5 |
| John Bradley | Colstrip, MT | $560.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Gail Waldby | Livingston, MT | $540.00 |  |  | 6 |
| Jerry Rukavina | Great Falls, MT | $525.00 |  |  | 10 |
| Monica Paoli | Missoula, MT | $510.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Roger Smith | Polson, MT | $500.00 |  |  | 5 |
| Steven Duganz | Billings, MT | $500.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Teton County Democrats | Choteau, MT | $500.00 |  |  | 1 |
| Pondera County Democratic Central Committee | Conrad, MT | $500.00 |  |  | 1 |
| Lewis and Clark County Democratic Central Committee | Helena, MT | $499.00 |  |  | 1 |
| Rick Hays | Helena, MT | $495.00 | $5.00 |  | 4 |

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest contributors, rows 26 to 50 of 50, data through 2026-09-30

| Contributor | From | Given, net of refunds | Refunded | Of which in-kind | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest contributors, rows 26 to 50 of 50, data through 2026-09-30 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Linda Sandman | Clancy, MT | $460.00 | $100.00 |  | 5 |
| Maxwell Milton | Helena, MT | $460.00 | $40.00 |  | 5 |
| Peter Welliver | Great Falls, MT | $460.00 | $40.00 |  | 5 |
| Ervin Ketterling | Billings, MT | $460.00 | $40.00 |  | 4 |
| Roy O'Connor | Missoula, MT | $460.00 |  |  | 2 |
| SETH BERG | HELENA, MT | $455.00 |  |  | 10 |
| Tom Harding | Whitefish, MT | $450.00 |  |  | 2 |
| David Nimick | Helena, MT | $450.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Ralph Zimmer | Bozeman, MT | $450.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Frank Allen | Missoula, MT | $450.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Elizabeth Goldes | Helena, MT | $440.00 |  |  | 5 |
| Larry Epstein | Essex, MT | $425.00 | $50.00 |  | 9 |
| WILLIAM BRYAN | Bozeman, MT | $425.00 |  |  | 9 |
| James Driggers | Helena, MT | $425.00 |  |  | 5 |
| JO ANN EDER | Red Lodge, MT | $425.00 |  |  | 4 |
| Marta Ernst | Helena, MT | $420.00 | $40.00 |  | 5 |
| MONA AMUNDSON | Glasgow, MT | $410.00 | $290.00 |  | 8 |
| Lorraine Collins | Billings, MT | $410.00 | $25.00 |  | 9 |
| Jennifer Stein | Kalispell, MT | $410.00 |  |  | 3 |
| Robin Nichols | Missoula, MT | $400.00 | $200.00 |  | 3 |
| R. Stephen Harper | Helena, MT | $400.00 | $200.00 |  | 6 |
| James Chalmers | Billings, MT | $400.00 | $100.00 |  | 4 |
| Mark Mackin | Helena, MT | $400.00 |  |  | 2 |
| Curtis Larsen | Helena, MT | $400.00 |  |  | 7 |
| Margaret Kimmet | Bozeman, MT | $400.00 |  |  | 2 |

The 50 largest of 4,462 contributors are shown.

Where a campaign refunded part of a contribution, the refund is subtracted: "Given, net of refunds" is what the contributor gave minus what was paid back, and "Refunded" is the amount paid back. The filing itself shows the gross contribution. A refund is matched to a contributor by identity, because the record does not link a refund to the contribution it returns, so a refund under an unmerged spelling stays unmatched and that contributor's figure stays gross.

A candidate may put unlimited personal money into their own campaign in Montana. Self-funding is not a limit breach and is marked above only so it is not misread as an outside donation.

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest payments made, rows 1 to 25 of 50, data through 2026-09-30

| Paid to | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest payments made, rows 1 to 25 of 50, data through 2026-09-30 |  |  |
| Jacobson & Zilber Strategies LLC | $347,741.30 | 6 |
| Act Blue | $11,521.48 | 87 |
| MTS Mailing Service | $9,825.29 | 8 |
| Jacobson & Zilber Strategies LLC | $9,000.00 | 2 |
| The Billings Times | $7,598.15 | 7 |
| Grassroots | $6,287.23 | 4 |
| Element L Design/Luke Duran | $4,019.65 | 2 |
| Mailchimp | $3,281.95 | 15 |
| Montana Democratic Party | $2,620.00 | 2 |
| Frank Cornwell | $2,000.00 | 1 |
| Megan Harbaugh | $1,806.45 | 1 |
| USPS | $1,685.49 | 25 |
| The Billings Times | $1,322.23 | 3 |
| Secretary of State | $1,163.79 | 1 |
| Numero | $1,050.00 | 3 |
| JOHN STIRLING | $800.00 | 4 |
| Element L. Design | $732.96 | 2 |
| Emma Trunkle | $649.07 | 3 |
| First Interstate Bank | $511.21 | 24 |
| Elizabeth Scanlin | $450.00 | 3 |
| Jane Hays | $380.00 | 2 |
| Mary Lynn Lukin | $365.00 | 2 |
| Laura Nicholson | $360.00 | 1 |
| James Molloy | $360.00 | 1 |
| NANCY FLIKKEMA | $360.00 | 4 |

### Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest payments made, rows 26 to 50 of 50, data through 2026-09-30

| Paid to | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020: largest payments made, rows 26 to 50 of 50, data through 2026-09-30 |  |  |
| Holly Schroeder | $360.00 | 1 |
| Susan Carstensen | $360.00 | 1 |
| KATHY DERRY | $360.00 | 1 |
| Carolyn Boyd | $360.00 | 1 |
| LeRoy Schramm | $360.00 | 1 |
| Caroline Kurtz | $360.00 | 1 |
| STEVE MOORE | $360.00 | 1 |
| Thomas Garwin | $360.00 | 1 |
| Karla Jurvetson | $360.00 | 1 |
| Mary Stranahan | $360.00 | 1 |
| Mary Bergum | $335.00 | 7 |
| Susan Newell | $300.00 | 1 |
| Eliza Frazer | $300.00 | 1 |
| Emma Trunkle | $300.00 | 1 |
| MONA AMUNDSON | $290.00 | 2 |
| RAVEN LIPMANSON | $253.00 | 1 |
| Anita Beach | $250.00 | 1 |
| Carole Erickson | $250.00 | 1 |
| Ellen Kreighbaum | $250.00 | 1 |
| DENIS GRIGSBY | $250.00 | 4 |
| Sheena Jarvey | $250.00 | 3 |
| Comfort Suites - Bozeman | $215.86 | 1 |
| Barbara Cole | $200.00 | 1 |
| VIRGINIA YATES | $200.00 | 1 |
| Robin Nichols | $200.00 | 1 |

The 50 largest of 148 payees are shown.

## What this record does not say about Melissa Romano, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2020, data through 2026-09-30

It does not say whether Melissa Romano won. CERS records candidacies and money, not results. Contribution totals are floors, not exact figures: the same real person or business can appear in the record more than once under spelling variants, and merging those into single identities is ongoing work. A total means "at least this much".