The Montana Republican Party has censured nine state senators and will no longer consider them to be Republicans — but the senators say they hold firm to the conservative mantle and the party should not insert itself into legislative business.
In a press release sent April 4, the party’s executive committee announced it had censured the nine senators for their “repeated alignment with Senate Democrats” this legislative session and for “undermining Republican priorities and leadership.”
The censure calls out the nine’s “unprecedented alliance” with Senate Democrats as a “coordinated scheme” to undermine the GOP leadership, including alleging ethical violations by Senate President Matt Regier, found to be unsubstantiated by the Legislative Auditor.
The committee unanimously voted for the censure on March 27 to the surprise Friday of at least four of the nine.
“I’m dumbfounded,” said Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester. “I’ve been a Republican longer than ( state GOP Executive Director Tyler) Newcombe’s been alive.”
In an extensive letter to the head of the state GOP, obtained by the Daily Montanan, Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, said his responsibility is to the people of Montana, “not party bosses like you.”
The letter was an attempt to argue against the potential censure, and Kassmier emailed it to GOP Chairman Don Kaltschmidt on March 27.
However, Kassmier said he learned Friday that Kaltschmidt did not receive the letter; Newcombe also said neither he nor Kaltschmidt have seen the letter, but they made attempts to meet with the nine.
None of the nine showed up to the executive committee meeting on March 27; several cited conflicts while others said they had never received invitations.
In the letter, Kassmier said he is a conservative who supports the agenda of Republican President Donald Trump. Kassmier also accuses Senate President Regier, R-Kalispell, of “playing political games” to undermine Gov. Greg Gianforte’s agenda and of working with Democrats.
“I support the conservative tax plans endorsed by Gov. Gianforte. I oppose the liberal tax plans pushed by President Regier,” the letter said. “ … The governor’s tax plans are consistent with the Montana Republican Party Platform. The tax plans pushed by President Regier are not.”
Regier said Friday he had not seen the letter. However he responded to the censure of the senators by saying it was basically an acknowledgement of the status quo in the Senate.
“It’s been a very frustrating session for Republicans from the first day,” Regier said.
The division between Senate Republicans began at the start of the 69th Legislature, when the nine — Kassmier, Tempel, Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, and Shelley Vance — joined all Democrats to change the chamber’s rules, going against GOP leadership.
That coalition, in essence a working majority, has repeatedly flexed its muscles over the last three months to pass big pieces of legislation, change committees and at times effectively run the Senate floor, as well as block attempts to expel one of their members, Ellsworth, for ethics violations. Ellsworth has since been censured by the Senate.
Previously, the state GOP executive committee issued a statement “strongly rebuking” the senators, saying additional steps would follow if the group did not stop its actions against the party.
“Despite multiple calls for unity and adherence to Republican principles, the senators have chosen to align with Democrats, undermining Republican priorities and leadership,” the statement about the censure said. “…These Senators have undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters.”
The executive board also voted to withhold any political funding for the nine in future elections and said the nine shouldn’t be considered to speak for the party.
Sen. Hunter, however, said his duty is to his constituents.
“The GOP central committee didn’t elect me,” Hunter said. “I don’t know what they’re using as a litmus test or not, but if you look at the Montana conservative scorecard, I’m more conservative than most Republicans.”
Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, said she’s “as Republican as they come,” and the state GOP was mischaracterizing the senators’ actions.
“We aren’t voting with the Democrats. The Democrats are voting with us to support the governor — not doing what other Republicans are doing to fight the governor,” McKamey said. “We’re doing the kinds of things good Republicans do.”
McKamey also said she was recently notified that she is receiving an award from the Republican National Committee for her conservatism.
In his letter, Kassmier wrote that his “strong conservative values” helped him defeat state GOP Vice Chairperson Lola Sheldon-Galloway in the 2024 primary for his Senate seat.
Kassmier also presents himself as a fiscal conservative and alleges Regier is working with Democrats in the House and is “a true liberal” spending taxpayer money on things like lawyers and new office furniture.
“A real conservative would never dream of spending money like President Regier,” Kassmier said in the letter. “When it comes to spending taxpayer money, President Regier is not a leader I follow.”
From the start of the session, however, Regier has repeatedly expressed frustration with the size of the governor’s budget and an interest in taking a closer look at spending in the state.
The censure Friday and allegations in the letter from Kassmier bring the split among Senate Republicans to the fore again as the legislature closes in on its last few weeks of work.
However, Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said he will continue to work with all 32 Republicans and talk with them daily given the limited time left in the session.
“I’d like us to see us come together and get as much good legislation as we can out of here. So I’m not disowning anybody,” McGillvray said. “… I cannot look at a group of Republicans and say, ‘You don’t belong to us anymore.’
“That’s exactly a way to destroy what we need to accomplish for the good of Montana people.”
Kassmier said he echoed the sentiment toward unity. “We got a lot of work to do.”
Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com.
