The Montana Republican Party held its winter kickoff in Great Falls over the weekend.
Party Chair Art Wittich says he has four goals for the midterms. One is to retain all Republican congressional delegates and another is to maintain strong Republican majorities in the state Legislature.
Two other priorities aim to make the judiciary more Conservative. Wittich says the GOP’s political success has been hampered by judges and justices who rule against Republican policies.
“If we really want our agenda to move forward and to make Montana the red state that we think the voters want, we need to improve our Montana Supreme Court,” Wittich says.
The party will campaign against a constitutional ballot initiative that would enshrine judicial elections as nonpartisan.
Supporters of the proposal say party labels would degrade the judiciary’s integrity.
Republican lawmakers have made several unsuccessful attempts to have judicial candidates run in partisan elections in recent years. They argue judges and justices are political, and voters deserve to know which way they lean.
In a sign of the party’s renewed focus on the courts, District Court Judge Dan Wilson gave the keynote speech at the GOP event. Wilson is making a second attempt to win a seat on the Montana Supreme Court this year.
“I call myself a constitutional Conservative because I decide cases based on the facts and not feelings, principles above all else, and the Constitution.”
Wittich says getting Wilson elected is the party’s fourth goal this cycle. While the party has supported various candidates over the years, Wittich says Republicans are taking it a step further by officially endorsing Wilson.
Republican leaders also talked about unifying the party ahead of next legislative session. A faction of moderate Republicans have long been a source of frustration for hardline Conservatives. Wittich says the party won’t recognize that faction as Republicans any longer. If lawmakers don’t vote with party leadership, he says they’re Democrats.
Several moderates from last session are expected to face intense primary challenges.
