Several Montana industry groups and chambers of commerce are suing the state over a ballot initiative aimed at restricting dark money.
The lawsuit asks the Montana Supreme Court to block the initiative from advancing, arguing it's unconstitutionally vague. The suit also says the proposal would violate the right to free speech if it passes.
The initiative, called the Montana Plan, would prohibit entities that do business in Montana from contributing to candidates, political parties or ballot issues. Backers say it’s a loophole around the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which protects corporate political donations as free speech.
In a statement, the proposal’s backers say the lawsuit is an attempt to "silence a growing, citizen-led movement and protect the influence of large corporate interests."
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Friday was a make-it-or-break-it day for proposed statewide ballot initiatives. Petition signatures had to be submitted to county elections officials June 19. -
Montana’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate Monday directly addressed speculation about her political future. Alani Bankhead confirmed she’s "in it to win it." -
The Montana Republican Party worked this primary season to oust several of its own members from the state Legislature. The party took issue with moderate candidates it saw as being too willing to work across the aisle with Democrats. With the dust from this month’s primary election settled, Lee Newspapers State Bureau reporter Seaborn Larson joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy to share results of the intraparty battle -
The 2026 primary results yielded a couple of surprise congressional candidates for Democrats. Republican congressional candidates won as expected. Legislative races pitting conservative versus moderate Republicans ended with mixed results. And Republican primary voters turned out in much bigger numbers than Democratic primary voters.
