Montana used to be a place that welcomed respectful debate of issues, and we worked together to find sensible solutions that considered as many views as possible. Not anymore. At least not if the party bosses get their way this spring.
The Montana GOP, under the leadership of former state legislator Art Wittich, has decided that hard line ideology and picking the “right” kind of Republican candidate is more important than supporting Republican candidates who can most effectively represent their districts. Wittich and the current Montana GOP aim to tip the scales for hand-picked candidates during the primaries, rather than letting you decide in an open, honest contest.
Some folks might be comfortable being spoon-fed from a party machine, particularly if it’s made up of known Montana Republicans, but I think it’s important to understand who’s actually calling the shots.
Americans for Prosperity has spent nearly $225,000 in just the last six weeks to promote 13 chosen candidates. Funny thing is, these candidates aren’t in swing districts that are at risk of being lost to Democrats. These 13 races target incumbent Republicans whose only offense is putting their constituents ahead of party bosses and out-of-state dark money. It’s hard to say whether Wittich or AFP decided which local candidates landed on that list, but it certainly wasn’t the average Montana voter who decided to start those negative attacks.
This should be disturbing to Montanans, but it’s not new. During my tenure in the Legislature, Art Wittich made his intentions plain. His own words, documented by the press, said it all: “We must help the purge along, and perhaps a phoenix will rise from the ashes.” That wasn’t a figure of speech. That was a mission statement — and it worked. The coordinated campaign Wittich ran against independent-minded Republicans succeeded in clearing the way for him to become Senate Majority Leader. An investigation revealed that his campaign had illegally coordinated with an out-of-state dark money network linked to the Koch brothers, founders of AFP. A Montana court slapped Wittich with the largest fine for dark money coordination in state history — a verdict unanimously upheld by the Montana Supreme Court. He’s been working that same purge ever since.
What started as a legitimate difference of opinion amongst legislators representing their constituents has now turned into Wittich’s grudge match — an orchestrated power grab by party bosses answerable to out-of-state donors to eliminate independent-minded candidates that won’t fall in line. Members of both parties may sometimes split with party leadership in favor of the interests of their local constituents, and there is nothing wrong with that. Central control of agendas and elections by party bosses is bad for constituents, bad for representative government, and bad for Montana.
Most Montanans favor disclosure of campaign finances and dark money contributions to campaigns. Voters should know whether candidates care about the issues that constituents face in their local district, or if they’re instead beholden to outside interests.
Montanans are smart and capable enough to understand the issues and vote their conscience. We don’t need party bosses or out-of-state billionaires to tell us who to pick. Your vote matters, and the outcome on June 2 will decide whether Montanans or the party bosses and their dark money machine gets to run our state.
Jim Peterson of Buffalo served in the Montana Legislature for 12 years, from 2003 to 2015, including as Senate Majority Leader and President of the Montana Senate.