HELENA – The Montana Republican Party went to court Thursday seeking intervention in their ongoing dispute with Attorney General Steve Bullock and his campaign fundraising methods.
Bullock, a Democrat, has not formally declared if he will seek re-election or run for governor — and he has been raising money without specifying which office he is seeking. His campaign website even lets donors send in donations of up to $1,200 — an amount only a candidate for governor can accept.
The past and present commissioners of political practice have said that nothing in state law prevents the move.
A formal declaration on the fundraising forms would need to be made, the commissioners have said, when a candidate files for office with the secretary of state. A deadline for such a declaration does not come until next year.
The fundraising forms are used to regulate campaign finance laws and disclose candidate spending. The declaration with election officials is used to complete ballots used by voters.
The Montana Republican Party lawsuit against Commissioner of Political Practices Dave Gallik challenges the earlier decision on the matter and asks a judge to intervene. And the party asks the judge to tell Gallik that he should have recused himself from the case since he once donated to Bullock before taking his present position.
A spokesman for Bullock defended the fundraising tactic as legal, and called the lawsuit “silly.”
“We work closely with the commissioner’s office to make sure our forms are filled out properly and this frivolous lawsuit is nothing more than a partisan stunt that will waste the court’s time and cost taxpayers money,” said Kevin O’Brien.
Two Democrats have already entered the attorney general’s race, betting that Bullock will be vacating the office.
The Montana Republican Party argues the law is clear that candidates must specify an office when filing financial disclosures.
“The public has the right to know when a politician is accepting and spending campaign contributions, whether those contributions and the spending of the same are lawful, and what office those contributions are being used to obtain,” the party argued in its lawsuit. “Such knowledge of the office being sought is particularly important to those who would contribute to candidates to ensure such contributions conform to Montana’s strict contribution limits.”
Bullock has been raising about as much money as a leading Republican candidate for governor, former Republican congressman Rick Hill.
Other Republicans running include former state senators Ken Miller of Laurel and Corey Stapleton of Billings, along with Washington D.C.-based security consultant Neil Livingstone.
Democratic state Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman is also running.