Jesse James Mullen is an American businessman, politician, and columnist based in Montana. He owns newspapers, book stores, and commercial real estate. He is the founder of Mullen Newspaper Company, a media company headquartered in Deer Lodge, Montana. Mullen Newspaper Company owns community newspapers in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, and Washington.[1] He is a candidate for Montana Secretary of State.[2] He is a member of the Montana Democratic Party Executive Board.[3]
Mullen attended Newcastle High School, in Newcastle, Wyoming,[4] then studied Journalism at the University of Wyoming.[5]
Mullen worked at various newspapers including The Boomerang, in Laramie, Wyoming and Rawlins Daily Times, in Rawlins, Wyoming.[6]
In 2013, Mullen worked with Civitas Media as an efficiency management expert to manage the editorial consolidation at the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Times Leader; Alton, Illinois Telegraph; Sedalia (Missouri) Democrat; Lima (Ohio) News; Mt. Airy (North Carolina) News; and Lumberton, North Carolina Robesonian.[7][8]
In 2014, at age 29, he was named one of Editor & Publisher’s 25 most influential executives in the newspaper industry.[9]
In 2015, the Mullen family was featured in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum exhibit[10] “America’s Mailing Industry.”
Mullen is the founder of Mullen Newspaper Company.[11] Mullen was a contributing author to editor Shannon Shelton Miller's "The Dayton Anthology" which reflected on the "traumas and longer-term ills of disinvestment and decay that have plagued [Rust Belt cities]," published by Belt Publishing.[12][13]
In 2020, Mullen purchased the Bitterroot Star.[14] In 2021, he purchased the St. Maries (Idaho) Gazette-Record.[15] In late 2021, Jesse and his brother, Lloyd Mullen, purchased the Johnson Newspaper Group in Nebraska and Colorado,[16] Kavanagh Newspaper Group in Montana,[17] and Nor’West Publications in Kansas, including the daily newspaper Colby Free Press.[18] Lloyd is part-owner of the Port Townsend (Washington) Leader.[19]
As of 2023, Mullen Newspaper Company manages 20 publications in six Western states.[20]
Mullen is a candidate for Montana's Secretary of State office running against incumbent Christi Jacobsen.[21][22][23][24][25]
Mullen is a member of the Montana Democratic Party Executive Board as an at-large member representing the western district. He was elected on July 22, 2023.[26]
In early 2022, Senate District 39 Democratic Senator Mark Sweeney died of a heart attack.[27] Mullen was nominated during a special convention to be the Democratic Party nominee to fill the remainder of Sweeney’s term, defeating Jessica Wicks, and former state Rep. Gordon Pierson.[28] Mullen lost the special election to Republican nominee and Deer Lodge County Commissioner Terry Vermeire.[29]
Jessica Wicks was appointed by the Deer Lodge County Commissioners to briefly fill the vacant senate seat until the election could take place in November.[28]
Mullen has five children. Mullen is married to Sasha Mullen.[30] He is a Rotarian and was president of the Philipsburg (Mont.) Rotary Club.[31]
Mullen owns the Montana bookstore chain, Browsing Bison Books.[32][33]