During the opening reception at the Montana Republican convention last week, party chairman Erik Iverson called for unity. With continued infighting over which ideological direction his party is heading, it’s a lofty goal and one that he must approach delicately.
How Republicans fare in the November elections may depend upon Iverson’s ability to appease different factions of his own party while alienating as few of them as possible. The state GOP has an identity crisis that Iverson, if not explicitly, demonstrably appears to acknowledge. He invited Congressman Ron Paul to speak at the Missoula convention, for example, a clear attempt to reach out to the former presidential candidate’s ardent statewide followers who felt disenfranchised by the Republican caucus, despite Paul’s second place finish.
It’s Iverson’s belief that the Republican Party is, in fact, the “big-tent party.” While that has spurred some of the unrest among his peers, the other option, which is beginning to sprout, presents a grave tactical disadvantage for the GOP: conservative-leaning candidates running against each other in the general election and providing a window of opportunity for liberals.
Recently, three incumbent state House Republicans who were ousted in the primary after being labeled too moderate by opponents have said they will file as write-in candidates. Although just one of the seats has a Democrat in the race, if this trend continues it could give Democrats seats in the capitol that they would not have won otherwise. And since these primary candidate winners simply ran on Paul’s platform, Iverson is essentially now reaching out to a group that, in some regards, could be hurting the party – at least with regard to legislative control.
But Iverson knows that many of Paul’s supporters – young, passionate and educated – are essential to the future of the party at a time when most college-aged voters view the GOP as archaic. One of Iverson’s main goals when he became chairman in 2007 was to make the party more technologically savvy and to revitalize the “grassroots,” a force that has not been taken advantage of recently, at least in conservative circles.
He acknowledged the need for change, yet now finds himself presiding over a fractured state party in one of the worst climates for the GOP in recent memory. Meanwhile, his big tent keeps getting bigger. Along with conservatives ousting moderates in the primary, perennial candidate Bob Kelleher won the U.S. Senate nomination. On many issues, he is more liberal (he supports socialized medicine) than incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Baucus. Still, Iverson offered Kelleher a conference room at the convention for the 85-year-old to drum up support.
While Kelleher is given virtually no chance of upsetting Baucus, how Republicans perform in other races depends on how they get along with each other in this big tent that Iverson keeps touting. If it really does unite and, at least, appears like a party that is inclusive to varying points of view, it bodes well for candidates’ chances come fall.
But, as evidenced by the write-in campaigns, that seems unlikely. Iverson must convince party members that the GOP represents differing interests without allowing it to splinter. That goal may be lofty, but to Iverson’s credit, at least he understands the mission. It would serve state Republicans well to begin following his lead.