Democrats and Republicans elected their party leaders for the 2027 legislative session Wednesday. Tensions in the Senate from last session remain, and House Republicans made history.
Senate President Matt Regier will stay in power after an uncontested election. In a speech to the Senate GOP, the Kalispell Republican called back to the infighting in the 2025 session that led to some big wins for Democrats and moderates.
“And the question is if we're closer to small, efficient government ideals, or if at the end of this session the Democrat caucus will raise a glass to toast liberalism in Montana,” Regier said.
On day one of last session, nine moderate Republicans formed a working majority with the Democrats in the Senate. The coalition voted against a few of the GOP’s cherished proposals, like limits to judicial powers and cuts to the state budget.
The fight poured over into the summer, when Regier asked the attorney general to issue an opinion that effectively removed two moderate republicans from the ballot. The two lawmakers got a judge to block that opinion and won their elections.
“We are the majority Republican party," Regier said. "I'm not going to dwell on last session, but I don't want to repeat it.”
Newly elected Senate Minority Leader Laura Smith, a Helena Democrat, agrees that she’d like to bring down the temperature in the chamber.
“People have had it with political bickering," Smith said. "It is time to solve problems in our state.”
In the lower chamber, Republicans elected 29-year-old Katie Zolnikov to be speaker of the House. She’s the first woman elected as speaker in Montana, and the youngest woman to hold the position in the history of the United States.
“Today has shown that you can still rise to the top by your own merits and work ethic. You don't have to be a part of the good old boys club or come from money to rise to the ranks,” Zolnikov said.
The Billings Republican said one of her priorities is lowering taxes, but it’s still too early to outline a plan to do so.
The vote was a surprise to some lawmakers, who expected incumbent Brandon Ler to win reelection.
The Democrats elected Representative SJ Howell from Missoula to lead the minority in the House.
