by Ken Toole | Nov 15, 2025 | Candid Cartoon, Republicans
Welcome to the new Republican Party under the leadership of Art Wittich and its newly formed “Conservative Governance Committee.” The internal war within the state GOP continues to rage.
Back in August, Republican legislative incumbents received a questionnaire signed by Rep. Keith Regier, probing their loyalty to a slate of far-right positions. When questioned about the questionnaire, newly elected State GOP Chairman Art Wittich defended it, saying, “Republicans from across the state elected me as chair in June with a mandate to achieve conservative policies that reflect how much redder Montana has become,” according to an email statement.
Like A Bad Penny, Lola Just Keeps Coming Back
The initial questionnaire did not identify the members of the Conservative Governance Committee. However, the Montana State News Bureau reports that the committee includes Regier; Rep. Tracy Sharp of Polson; Rep. Mike Vinton of Billings; perennial statewide candidate Al Olszewski, who also chairs the Flathead County Republican Central Committee; and former Great Falls Representative Lola Sheldon-Galloway. The MTGOP declined to confirm the remaining members when asked about other rumored names.
Candidate questionnaire responses were collected, analyzed, and forwarded to party leadership. Those answers reportedly helped determine which candidates were invited to a campaign-skills training held in Helena in late October. According to the News Bureau, Wittich refused to answer questions about who funded the training, whether MTGOP funds were used to cover costs (the event was free to non-incumbents), or how the consulting firm running the training was selected.
Wittich, of course, comes with a long and sleazy history in Montana politics.
Source: https://wtf406.com/2025/08/dispatches-from-the-republican-civil-war/
by Guest Writer | Oct 7, 2025 | Medicaid, Republicans, Shutdown
Article 1 of the Constitution vests in Congress the sole authority to appropriate money. Each year, Congress and the President are required to pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the government for the next year by September 30. The current Republican-controlled House only requires a simple majority to pass a bill, yet not one appropriations bill has been agreed upon by both chambers. In fact, only three of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed out of the House.
Instead of focusing their energy on passing the 12 appropriations bills needed to fund government, Congress has spent much of their time passing a budget reconciliation bill that the President wanted. He likes to call it the “one big, beautiful bill.” Many refer to it as the Budget Busting Bill, as it raised the debt limit by five trillion dollars. It cut taxes for the wealthiest by over four trillion dollars. It will kick more than 10 million Americans off health insurance and cut nearly one trillion from Medicaid, resulting in 15 million people losing Medicaid coverage. It cut $300 billion from food nutrition programs that help feed 42 million Americans, mostly children. It cut investment in conservation programs and renewable energy, while raising subsidies for fossil fuels and lowering federal royalties for coal and other fossil fuels.
All of these cuts will cause dire impacts for farms, ranches and rural communities in Montana.
Bottom line: The budget reconciliation bill will lower the average income for all Americans except the Top 1%. This reconciliation bill barely passed, as several Republicans voted against it and required the Vice President to break the tie in the Senate.
Sadly, the juncture at which we find ourselves – a federal shutdown with no reauthorized Farm Bill, which expired Sept. 30 – further erodes our food security.
Because members of Congress and the White House have been unable to work out budget details, other work critical to the family farm remains in limbo as well. For example, finalizing a potential plan for emergency payments to offset the devastating impact of tariffs and conservation payments for producers being delayed, while chronically understaffed USDA offices fall further behind in providing technical support for producers.
I repeat: The Republicans control the White House, Senate, and the House. When the Republicans can’t pass their own appropriations bills out of the House, it is ludicrous to blame anyone but themselves.
Every one of Montana’s Congressional Delegation is Republican.
Ask them to use their power as the majority to do their job.
Schweitzer is President of Montana Farmers Union, a grassroots organization supporting family farmers and ranchers through education, legislation, and cooperation. He ranches near Geyser.
Tags:
federal shutdown 2025, Government Shutdown, MFU, Montana Farmers Union, Walter Schweitzer
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by Ken Toole | Sep 8, 2025 | Conservative, Republicans
WTF406 recently received Republican Legislator Llew Jones’ responses to a questionnaire sent to him from the state Republican Party. It is undoubtedly the beginning of a process to remove Jones and other Republican Party members from the state GOP.
In his response, Jones included a section titled “Context.” In it, he excoriates current party leadership. Jones wrote, “On paper, this questionnaire comes from the Montana State Republican Central Committee. In reality, it signals a major shift: instead of helping local Republicans get elected, the state party is now policing loyalty to party bosses. Under the direction of State Republican Chairman Art Wittich — who has a long history of attempting to purge Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal to the party machine — a state-level vetting committee has been created. We don’t know who sits on this committee, no minutes are taken, and there’s zero transparency. It appears the outcomes are predetermined, with this questionnaire serving more as justification than as honest evaluation.”
WTF406 has written numerous posts about the continuing feuds in the Montana Republican Party. https://wtf406.com/2025/08/dispatches-from-the-republican-civil-war/
We have also written about the so-called moderate Republicans from Cascade County in the legislature. https://wtf406.com/2025/08/myth-of-the-moderate-republican/
Jones On The Issues In His Own Words
In his response to the questionnaire, he addresses his positions on specific issues. Below are selected quotes from some of his responses.
On Affordable Housing: The housing market must remain driven by the free market, but the government has a limited role to play in ensuring unnecessary regulations do not block development.
On Property Taxes: The first step in lowering property tax is enforcing local spending discipline, since property taxes fund local government. Without it, tax reform is impossible.
On Economic Development: Economic growth is best achieved by empowering private enterprise and reducing government interference. The government’s role is to maintain shared infrastructure like roads, bridges, and water systems, which allow private business to thrive.
On Budget Surpluses: Surpluses should go back to the people or toward long-term obligations, never to grow government. If a surplus is ongoing, it should reduce tax rates.
On Education: Home schoolers, who do not draw on public funds, have much more freedom. I support broadening opportunities through public, charter, private, or homeschooling, consistent with Republican support for choice.
On Abortion: I am pro-life and believe life begins at conception, a principle I have consistently upheld in my votes. My record has earned me an “A” rating from the Family Foundation. Defending life is a core Republican principle I will continue to champion.
On Trans People: I stand firmly against gender reassignment procedures for minors and oppose biological males competing in female sports. Adults may choose for themselves, but taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize those choices, nor should providers be punished for elective procedures chosen by adults. This aligns with Republican principles of protecting children and ensuring fairness while respecting adult responsibility.
On Climate Change: The climate has always changed, and while I oppose alarmist policies that cripple our economy, I support responsible stewardship of Montana’s land, air, and water. Clean, safe development without overregulation aligns with Republican priorities of resource stewardship balanced with economic freedom.
On Illegal Immigration: Montana must support law enforcement, resist illegal immigration in our communities, and defend the rule of law. I have consistently supported strong border enforcement policies, including those advanced during the Trump administration. At the same time, we must avoid creating new programs that pile on burdensome red tape or punish employers unfairly. If an illegal immigrant deceives an employer, the response should target the deception, not impose undue penalties on Montana job creators who are already complying with the law. A balanced approach strengthens enforcement without strangling employers in punitive bureaucracy.
On Gun Control: None. The Second Amendment is clear: “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Montana Republicans have long defended this right, and so have I. I have consistently been rated A by the NRA and Montana Shooting Sports Association. We already have sufficient laws on the books — what we need is to defend the rights we have.
It’s Really Pretty Simple
Let’s just boil all of that down a little. Jones is anti-choice and pro-gun. He believes in trickle-down economics and deregulating corporations. He thinks climate change is the historical norm and expanding homeschooling is a good thing while public schools are underfunded. He thinks budget surpluses shouldn’t be used to improve infrastructure and public services and should be “given back to the people instead.” He is anti-trans and believes in state action replacing the judgment of medical professionals and parents. And on immigration, he supports the Trump administration. Enough said.
Jones is a garden-variety Republican conservative who claims the title of “moderate” only because others in the Republican party have gone so far over the edge. Unfortunately, many people in politics these days let him get away with it.
by Helena Lovick | Sep 5, 2025 | Cascade County, Elections, Politics, Republicans
Great Falls, MT
Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki switched his party affiliation last week from Democrat to Republican. The county attorney released a reaaaallly believable statement about why he switched parties. (Somehow, he forgot to mention that he made the switch because he was worried about re-election…hmmmmm.) The rumor is a Republican was going to run against him and Racki wanted to hold on to his position during next year’s election.
In his statement, Racki said:
For the past several years, we have watched the Democratic party change its stance on law enforcement. Movements to ‘defund the police,’ attacks on law enforcement officials and officers, and putting criminals before victims has gone too far. The Republican Party puts the safety and freedom of law-abiding citizens first by standing with law enforcement.
Huh.
Did Josh memory hole the Republican riot on January 6, 2021? Democrats weren’t the ones beating a police officer with a flag pole, tasing, pepper spraying, and trampling officers at the U.S. Capitol. If Racki doesn’t remember that, then I have some questions about his mental ability to serve as the county attorney.
This you?
Source: https://www.fox29.com/news/rioters-maced-trampled-capitol-officers-new-documents-show-depth-of-jan-6-attack
This you?
Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/features/producers-picks/dc-police-officer-describes-fighting-for-his-life-as-rioters-dragged-him/65-5405dfde-6c19-4c99-9160-e8a3d4173987
This you?
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/officer-who-responded-us-capitol-attack-is-third-die-by-suicide-2021-08-02/
The January 6th attack was a shameful disgrace as Republican fascist rioters overran our nation’s capital — incited and encouraged by then president, Donald Trump.
Can you imagine seeing what the Republican party is currently doing to destroy our country and thinking, mmmm, get me some of that??
In the Cascade County Democrats’ response statement to Racki’s party switch, they accurately stated:
The Cascade County Democrats are dedicated to safer communities not only through law enforcement but also supporting first responders, prevention programs, recovery programs, education, access to quality healthcare for all, a growing economy and lowering the cost of living. The Republican party is currently dismantling all of these systems at the local level all the way up to the federal level…. the Cascade County Democrats will continue to do the hard work of building a future that is better for ALL Montanans.
Josh Racki Is Finally Honest With Voters
Yeah, we saw it coming
To be honest with you, the majority of active local organizers and Cascade County Democrats saw this coming from a mile away. One obvious sign is Racki is good friends with Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter, also a party flipper for political gain. Hang around with clowns become a clown.
At least now he’s being honest with the voters. Maybe some memes will help explain the situation Josh is in:
How diD you kNow he’S RePublicaN?
Josh Racki last week, probably. Living his authentic truth.
An illustration in two parts
Now, enough talking about that loser. We don’t have time for the complicit enablers. We’ve got a fascist movement to turn around in this country.
by Helena Lovick | Aug 28, 2025 | Democrats, Politics, Republicans
Let’s talk about “moderate” Republicans. I’ve been hearing about this perspective for years. Some political “experts” think we should support moderate Republicans when they run for districts that are an uphill battle for Democrats. This is different from the calls for voting in a Republican primary to help ensure a more reasonable politician is elected as the blog previously discussed here. Instead, the moderate Republican strategy I’m talking about includes: not investing in Democrats, not supporting Democrats in general elections, not endorsing Democratic candidates, even all the way up to voting for a Republican in a general election.
Rather than recruiting a strong Democrat and trying to put it all on the field, some people believe it is a winning strategy to not even put up a fight, roll over and give the win to a moderate. “At least we can elect someone that is easy to work with!” So….does that strategy payoff? Do these Republicans vote more moderately? Is it preferable to throw support behind a moderate Republican rather than trying to help a Democrat in a lop-sided race?
I’m going to have to say HELL NO. There’s a reason why Wayne Gretzky said, “you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” If you want to make in-roads in a district, you actually have to work on building relationships with the voters in that district.
But another aspect of “at least we elected a moderate” is that THEY AREN’T MODERATE. Over and over again we have seen that the people who are willing to run for office as a Republican in these times are extremists. Sure, they might throw you a bone and help Medicaid expansion get across the finish line (as they did in 2025), but they throw working people and marginalized groups under the bus every day. We’ve written about GOP bigotry of the moderates and MAGA in 2023, but here we are again!
I mean just take a look at how our Great Falls area Republicans voted during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Great Falls Area Republican Legislators
First, here is your list of Great Falls area Republican Legislators with their moderate or MAGA label. The Moderate descriptor is based on participation in the Solutions Caucus, support by the Conservatives4MT PAC, and/or community perspective.
How did they vote? (Shocker – Against us and our future)
In the following table, some key votes of moderate Great Falls area Republicans are listed. Bill descriptions are listed on the left. State Senators Trebas and Emrich are consistently MAGA bigots, and they voted the wrong way on every one of the following bills. Their votes are not shown in the table. Votes are coded with a green color when they are bipartisan and pro-working people.
As you can see in the table, in the vast majority of cases, so-called moderate Republicans vote with the Republican caucus and against the people. If you’re looking for more data on how these clowns voted, you can check out the deeper dive by the Daily Montanan here.
Any Good News? What about the Democrats?
It’s worth noting that our lone Democratic legislator in the Great Falls area, Jane Weber, voted the kind, forward-thinking way on all of these bills. I also give some credit to Republican Senator Wendy McKamey for voting against her caucus significantly more frequently than any other Great Falls area Republican.
It was good to see that Medicaid Expansion in Montana lived another day with the 2025 legislature. But the Big Ugly Bill passed by our federal government (also run by Republicans) just made giant cuts to Medicaid. So what is the benefit to electing moderates when we expect nearly 40,000 Montanans to lose insurance? Sure doesn’t seem like the payoff for ditching Democrats to support Republican Lite is worth it.
What should I do to help turn things around?
Inform yourself when politicians ask for your vote. Is the way they vote kind to you or your neighbors? Is it kind to attack our environment and attack our freedoms to be who we are and to have bodily autonomy? Is that the future you want? I sure don’t.
It is a lot easier to sleep at night when you know that your elected representatives have your back. (Rather than have a knife in your back.) Let’s put up a left leaning candidate in every district and try to build some real momentum away from the rightward slide of Montana and our country. And whoever gets elected, let’s continue to pressure them to do the right thing.
by Ken Toole | Aug 8, 2025 | Cascade County, Republicans
Far right opponents of Representative Llew Jones have been circulating the above graphic on social media
The internal war in the Montana Republican Party rages on. The recent controversy at the State GOP convention continues to draw attention to the feud between the more centrist “Solutions Caucus” supporters and the far-right “Montana Freedom Caucus.” After the convention, the Freedom Caucus turned to social media and radio to attack fellow Republicans they deemed to be RINOs (Republicans In Name Only).
GOP Convention Rumble In Helena
The GOP convention was held in Helena in late June. In violation of party rules, Senator Barry Usher moved to “not recognize” nine senators who had worked with Democrats during the 2025 legislative session, stripping them of their right to participate as convention delegates. Despite being ruled out of order by the party chairman, the vote proceeded, and Usher’s motion was approved, resulting in the senators being unable to vote in the convention. 🔗 Source
Three of the nine senators are currently challenging that decision and are calling for a “do-over” of the convention voting. In a lawsuit filed in Lewis and Clark County District Court on August 5th, Senator Jason Elsworth of Hamilton, Denley Loge of St Regis and Shelly Vance of Belgrade are asking the court to restore their voting rights and force a new vote on party leadership. https://montanafreepress.org/2025/08/06/disenfranchised-at-convention-republican-lawmakers-sue-mtgop/
Art Wittich- Far Right And Sleazy
New officers elected at the convention included Art Wittich, an attorney and longtime political operator, who was elected chair of the party. Former Republican legislator Russ Fitzgerald from Teton County put it this way:
“More alarming, the Freedom Caucus elevated Art Wittich to state party chair. I now call him the ‘Cleanser-in-Chief’ for leading this pogrom in the state party. Wittich’s past includes a $68,000 fine—one of Montana’s largest—for campaign finance irregularities during his 2010 Senate campaign.”
In 2016, Wittich was convicted of violating Montana campaign laws after failing to report nearly $20,000 spent in his legislative race in Gallatin County. That figure did not include additional money spent by “independent expenditure” groups promoting his candidacy. Wittich featured prominently in the 2018 documentary film Dark Money, which provided a detailed exposé of corruption in our political process.
🔗 More on Wittich
Grulkowski Loses Another Election
Former Cascade County Commissioner, election denier, and purveyor of wild conspiracy theories Rea Grulkowski was defeated in a bid to be GOP vice chair by Stacy Zinn. Grulkowski was clearly the darling of the Freedom Caucus crowd. She was nominated by Theresa Manzella, the founder of the Montana Freedom Caucus and an election denier extraordinaire.
🔗 See our previous post
Manzella pointed out in her nomination speech that Grulkowski was not officially endorsed by the MT Freedom Caucus, although her nomination was seconded by Senator Barry Usher, who has served as the treasurer of the Montana Freedom Caucus. Manzella said Grulkowski was not formally supported because she did not know enough of the members. Grulkowski was ultimately defeated by Stacy Zinn, a retired DEA agent and former unsuccessful candidate for Montana’s Eastern District congressional seat. Zinn received 124 votes; Grulkowski had 106.
Then There Were The Battles During The Legislature
The 2025 legislative session was characterized by infighting among Republican legislators. Right out of the gate, a group of nine Republican senators objected to the committee assignments they were given, calling those assignments a “parking spot.” They worked with the Democratic minority to stifle the rules proposed by Republican leadership, bringing the Senate to a virtual standstill. As the session progressed, the nine senators proved to be staunch allies of Governor Greg Gianforte and joined a bipartisan group of 20 to 25 representatives to pass property tax cuts and Medicaid expansion. (That’s what we call moderates?!)
🔗 More on that
What Ever Happened To Matt Rosendale
It’s hard to recap all the battles in the Republican civil war—there have been so many. Ten years ago, the Cascade County Republican Central Committee imploded after a far-right Freedom Caucus push to sanction and remove members they didn’t like.
🔗 Read the story
Then there’s the mysterious case of National Freedom Caucus leader and Montana Representative Matt Rosendale. After weeks of playing coy with the media about whether he would challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat, Rosendale finally announced he was in. Then, six days later, he withdrew after Trump announced he was endorsing Tim Sheehy in the Republican primary—likely because Rosendale had snubbed Trump by refusing to take his call on the House floor.
🔗 Rosendale drama
Within a couple of weeks, Rosendale announced that he was not running for re-election to his seat in Congress. There’s little question he would have been a shoo-in to retain his seat. His decision prompted widespread speculation about the “real” reason. On a political podcast, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp said the rumor in D.C. was that he had allegedly impregnated a 20-year-old congressional staffer. Whatever the reason, Rosendale quickly exited public life and politics.
🔗 Rumor recap
They’ll Be Back!
In the last election, three Freedom Caucus supporters in Cascade County—Steven Galloway, Lola Sheldon Galloway, and Rae Grulkowski—were defeated in the Republican primary thanks to the work of more centrist Republicans and progressives who crossed over to vote in the Republican primary. (There was only one contested Democratic primary on the ballot.) If the Freedom Caucus crowd has demonstrated anything, it’s that they don’t give up or compromise. They’ll be back in the 2026 election. Stay tuned.
