A district court judge has denied Montana Democrats’ request to remove the Green Party candidate from the U.S. Senate race. Democrats plan to appeal that ruling.
Green Party candidate Robert Barb will appear on the November ballot under the court’s order. Barb will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, Republican Tim Sheehy and Libertarian Sid Daoud in the race.
Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Michael McMahon found that the Green Party correctly nominated Barb to replace a candidate who dropped out. McMahon also wrote that state law provides for an official procedure to contest a candidate, and the Montana Democratic Party did not use it.
Michael Downey, who won the Green Party’s primary in June, left the race at the 11th hour, saying he was worried he would take votes away from Tester.
Robyn Driscoll, chair of the Montana Democrats, says the party disagrees and will appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court. She also pointed to Barb’s past support for the Republican Party in donations and social media posts, saying he’s not a true Green Party candidate.
Green Party ballot access coordinator Steve Kelly has rejected that claim.
