Republican Darling JD Hall’s Fall From Grace Exposes Allegations of Serious Crimes
Great Falls Republicans were quick to embrace far-right extremist Jordan Hall. On February 17, 2022, Hall was the featured speaker for the Republican “Pachyderm Club.” Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci is a vocal supporter of disgraced pastor Jordan Hall. Pinocci went so far as to be featured in a newspaper advertisement supporting Hall. Yet Republicans throughout Great Falls have been utterly silent amid Hall’s extreme fall from grace. Who the funk is Jordan Hall?
Hall found infamy after defaming a prominent Indigenous, Two-Spirit lobbyist, Adrian Jawort. Jawort sued Hall, and after a scary and prolonged trial, Jawort prevailed. Hall eventually admitted his entire story was a lie. However, before losing the lawsuit against him, Hall went on a statewide tour, spreading hate, homophobia, and transphobia. This included several stops in Great Falls, rubbing shoulders with our own local right-wing extremist politicians.
Hall’s dangerous behavior escalated, and he threatened to kill Raph Graybill, attorney for Jawort. Hall also made disparaging comments about Great Falls’ own Judge Best who presided over the case. Shortly after losing against Jawort, Hall faced yet another accusation of defamation.
Despite Hall’s clear lack of character and extreme bigotry, there’s been not a peep from the Great Falls’ politicians that welcomed Hall with open arms. Perhaps this is not a surprise, given the pervasive culture of homophobia within the Republican Party. (Remember, Great Falls received a mere 6 out of 100 points in the 2021 Municipal Equality Index Scorecard.) However, Hall’s most recent offenses seem entirely at odds with the “family centered” façade Republicans cling to.
Previous hatemongering notwithstanding, Hall’s downward spiral has only gained momentum since his court losses. Hall’s newest hits include:
– Arrest for suspicion of DUI and weapons charges – Admission of drug abuse and a felony charge for drug possession – Investigation into potential bankruptcy fraud – Investigation into claims Hall embezzled around $10,000 from his church – Investigation into a serious incident of spouse and child abuse including strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon
Clearly Hall’s disgusting and hateful rhetoric towards the LGBTQ+ community and his threats towards attorneys didn’t dissuade Pinocci from offering his full support. Nor did it prevent the local Pachyderm Club from inviting this bigot to speak to their group. GF Republicans have clearly been infiltrated by far-right conspiracy nuts…like the rest of the Republican Party across the state.
Hall tweets a warning to Greybill and transphobic message to Jawort
Make no mistake about it, the Republican Party is out to get your right to vote. Never mind that Republicans swept the 2020 elections across the state. Never mind those allegations of election fraud across the country and here in Montana have proven to be paranoid fantasies. The Republican Party is forging ahead with its plan to make it significantly harder to vote, particularly for groups of people who have traditionally voted for Democrats.
At the recent Montana Republican Party convention, changing how voting is conducted was high on their agenda. Don’t be fooled by their rhetoric about “problems” in the current system of voting. Their push is about changing the rules so Republican candidates have an advantage in elections.
Speaking in favor of requiring hand counting of ballots, Great Falls Representative Lola Sheldon-Galloway said she supported the change, because she wanted something for Republican clerk and recorder candidates to run on. And she added, “If we’re going to do hand ballots counting, we need the people of this party (Republicans) counting those ballots.”
In a convention which demonstrated that the Montana Republican Party is firmly in the hands of the most extreme factions of the Party, opposition to the far-right agenda was not tolerated. Representative David Bedey called out the mythology of election fraud in Montana, saying, “These attacks — unfounded attacks — on Montana’s election system does nothing but degrade the confidence our citizens have in this fundamental process.” Bedey’s comment was greeted with loud boos from the audience. The measure to require cumbersome hand counting passed. No doubt the Republicans will want to see the final election results written with quill pens dipped in ink.
A mere 19 votes decided the House District 23 primary last night. Establishment candidate Brad Hamlett lost out to candidate Melissa Smith. The city’s only Democrat primary race was an incredibly close call. Hamlett previously served in the State Senate from 2009 – 2017. Hamlett appears to have neither a website nor a current facebook page. Perhaps Hamlett was relying on his name recognition to breeze through the 2022 primary. Whatever the strategy, Hamlett lost out to Smith receiving 300 votes to Smith’s 319.
Other big winners of the night include Democrat Monica Tranel for Montana’s 1st District House seat. Tranel beat out primary opponents Cora Neumann and Tom Winter, garnering 34.853 (65%) votes. Representing Democrats for the 2nd District House seat, Penny Ronning won with 20,017 (58%) votes, beating out Skylar Williams and Mark Sweeney. Although Sweeney passed away before the election, his name remained on the ballot. Shockingly, some Democrats encouraged others to still vote for Sweeney, thus allowing the Democrats to call a convention. All respect to the friends and loved ones of Sweeney, but suggesting folks vote for a dead man rather than the living female candidate or Indigenous candidate was not a good look for Democrats. Ronning now faces a tough battle against incumbent and seditionist Matt Rosendale.
Moving into the general election in November, Democrats will need big turn-out to flip Montana back to its previous-purple splendor. Congratulations to last night’s winners!
All election results taken from: electionresults.mt.gov
Notice the Republican yard signs on 10th Avenue South? Have you noticed that they are almost all in front of casinos, low rent motels and empty lots? Have to wonder what’s up with that. So, we took a minute to look a few things up.
Researching ownership of commercial property is tricky business since many owners create different legal entities to hold property and because the named owner may have little control over the property. With that said, here is a list of the casinos. Palace Casino, Cash Out Casino, Player’s Casino, Cash Out Gold Casino- (this one is owned by Buttrey Realty. Yes, that Buttrey). The motels are The Western and Plaza Inn (both owned by Metha Mukesh)
One must wonder why these are the only businesses with big bunches of Republican signs on 10th Ave South. Could it be that these businesses know that Republicans carry their water in the legislature?
Since Covid, drama and controversy in our schools have dominated the news. Calling themselves the “parental rights movement”, angry parents have appeared at local school board meetings demanding they have things their way. Rowdy and abusive, these parents have accused school board members and staff of all kinds of (wildly untrue) things. You can watch a sampling of the vitriol our Great Falls School Board experienced during a special meeting in August 2021 here. Pushing conspiracy theories about masks, the books kids are using, and demanding that history classes teach only things they agree with, these parents repeat talking points directly taken from national far-right organizations.
As school elections approached, they began filing for open seats on school boards across the state. By and large these candidates toned down their far-right rhetoric attempting to present a friendly face to the electorate. So how did they do in the elections? Turns out not very well at all. (A summary of key school elections can be found here: https://montanafreepress.org/2022/05/04/montana-school-election-results/)
What the Funk Happened in our School Board Race?
Well, the Great Falls Public School Board Trustees are in! Drum roll please.
Incumbents Gordon Johnson, and Mark Finnicum retained their 3-year seats. Paige Turoski nabbed the last 3-year slot. And Amie Thompson earned the 1-year slot.
What a rollercoaster ride of an election! Paige Turoski was the only right-wing and GOP-endorsed candidate to win in a race that had 11 candidates vying for four seats. In a climate doused with sheer absurdity, we must celebrate our victories where we can. The elections of Johnson, Finnicum, and Thompson are major wins for our schools, faculty, and kids!
We have faith our trustees will continue to do right by our students and staff. Hopefully Ms. Turoski will gain more awareness when removed from her right wing echo chamber and instead surrounded by reasonable, logical adults. We’re thrilled to see Great Falls voted for more moderate voices on the board. After all, local elections are nonpartisan for a reason.
After the leaked draft Supreme Court decision overthrowing Roe v. Wade, you might be thinking, “What the hell can I do? My country hates people with uteruses and doesn’t want us to have control over our own bodies!” And…you’re not wrong. We give corpses more bodily autonomy than a post-Roe America.
As we continue to protest and put pressure on our elected officials, local politics are our greatest hope to keep abortion legal in Montana. But only if we vote for an entirely NEW slate of representatives.
What the Funk have current Great Falls Elected Representatives been doing to strip away our fundamental human rights?
Surprised Pikachu face, every single Republican legislator from Great Falls voted for a variety of anti-choice bills in 2021!
Let’s start with the poster child for forced-birth, Representative Lola Sheldon-Galloway. You might recognize Lola from her bench ads and posters with the acronym for Lola of “Leave Our Liberties Alone.” Bitterly ironic when Lola is coming to trample all over your right to make private medical decisions. Rep. Sheldon-Galloway has supported many anti-choice bills during her multiple stints in the legislature. In 2021, she giddily sponsored HB 136 to prohibits abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Your pregnancy is nonviable? Too bad, mama. You still have to remain pregnant, Mx. Incubator! Goody for us, HB 136 was signed into law by Governor Gianforte.
We’d be remiss to not mention one bill that didn’t get passed but is a telling roadmap of things to come. Representative Gillette (R-Bozeman) ultimately withdrew HB 209, which sought to give parental rights to rapists. Public outrage caused Gillette to backpedal, but the ideology remains the same – people with uteruses are incubators, not worthy of bodily autonomy.
What other anti-choice bills were passed in the 2021 session of the Montana Legislature thanks to our Republican governor?
HB 171 – A bill that adds substantial bureaucracy for people seeking a medication-induced abortion. These barriers make it harder for a woman to terminate in the first trimester. This is BY DESIGN. Make it hard to get a medication abortion, and then poof! You’re at 20 weeks and now your abortion is illegal.
And to round it off, HB 140. A bill with no provisions for victims of rape or incest, that requires medical providers to offer patients an active ultrasound with image and sound. The bill also requires the patient to sign a form saying they were offered said ultrasound and answer whether they chose to view it.
Every Republican legislator from Great Falls voted for the three anti-choice bills that were signed into law. Every. Single. One.
Fred Anderson (HD-20)
Ed Buttrey (HD-21)
Brian Hoven (SD-13)
Steve Fitzpatrick (SD-10)
Steve Galloway (HD-24)
Steve Gist (HD-25)
Scot Kerns (HD-23)
Wendy McKamey (HD-19)
Lola Sheldon-Galloway (HD-22)
Jeremy Trebas (HD-26)
These legislators are extremists who vote to take away people’s fundamental human rights. We have to combat the fall of Roe and it starts here at the State Legislature level. Our lives depend on it.
