In the opening days of the 2025 Montana legislative session, nine Republican state senators aligned with Democrats during a critical vote on Senate rules, sparking allegations of betrayal from within their own party. Despite holding a 32-18 majority in the Senate, the Republican majority’s control over committee assignments was deeply weakened by this crossover, leading to Democratic majority on key legislative committees. This not only undermines the will of the voters, but this will threaten the implementation of Republican legislative priorities. The power of committees cannot be stressed enough. These committees decide what bills make it to the floor to be voted on. Committees hold the power of moving bills forward or completely stopping them.
The vote allowed Democrats and moderate Republicans to secure seats on critical committees, including Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs, as well as Finance and Claims, and the Health and Human Services Subcommittee. This vote gave Democrats these powerful committee assignments, and it will impact significant issues such as Medicaid expansion and taxpayer-funded abortions, and many other policy issues. Senator Jason Ellsworth led this effort, reportedly motivated by political retribution against colleagues who supported Senator Matt Regier as Senate President.
Questions have also arisen regarding procedural integrity. A disputed amendment document used in the vote reportedly bypassed the required Legislative Services Division review and improperly specified individual members for committee assignments. Concerns were raised about missing authorization markings and irregular naming conventions in the resolution, further casting doubt on the transparency and legality of the process. This controversy has overshadowed the legislative session’s start, grossly delaying substantive work and deepening divisions within the Montana Senate. MT voters overwhelmingly chose Republican leadership for MT, and these nine senators betrayed their constituents by giving democrats more power on committees. These committees have tremendous power, as they essentially decide what bills to kill in committee or pass, moving it forward to the floor for votes and passage. Hold these Senators accountable by voicing your frustrations to them. Demand accountability from these senators. Their contact information is below, and below that is a link to the recall petition:
- Jason Ellsworth, Hamilton, SD43, 406-360-0009 – [email protected]
- Bruce “Butch” Gillespie, Ethridge, SD 9, 406-949-4453 – [email protected]
- Gregg Hunter, Glasgow, SD15, 406-219-7590 – [email protected]
- Josh Kassmier, Fort Benton, SD 13, 406-781-5386 – [email protected]
- Gayle Lammers, Hardin, SD 21, 406-679-0020 – [email protected]
- Denley Loge, St Regis, SD 45, 406-544-5220 – [email protected]
- Wendy McKamey, Great Falls, SD 12, 406-868-5006 – [email protected]
- Russ Tempel, Chester, SD 14, 406-265-0990 – [email protected]
- Shelley Vance, Belgrade, SD 34, 406-587-8608 – [email protected]
Recall Petition for the OUT OF LINE NINE:
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