Montana Election Review 2018

Montana Election Review 2018

by Alex Barron

I thought to look at the election results for other Redoubt States.  In Montana, most of us have been looking at the tough loss in the federal Senate race, but I want to spend a moment to look at other races in Montana.

Before the 2004 elections, Montana was a Republican “trifecta” State. It had Republicans in charge of all three State branches. In 2004 Democrats took control of the State Senate and the State’s governor’s office. In 2008 Republicans retook control of the State Senate. Unfortunately, Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat was elected to a four-year term in 2016. Steve Bullock has made no secret of his desire to run for President against President Trump in 2020. Thus he vetoes any conservative bill that is not backed by the wealthy Democratic ultra-liberal globalist nobility from the coasts.

In 2016, Greg Gianforte ran for Governor of Montana as the Republican candidate, and distanced himself from President Trump losing to Democratic Governor Steve Bullock by 6%.  In 2018 Greg Gianforte embraced President Trump and his policies.  Republican Greg Gianforte, whom (unwisely) body slammed a liberal reporter, won in the House race over a liberal by 5%.  This is fairly significant because there was a Libertarian in the race who took approximately 3% of the vote.

Libertarians often vote for Republicans when there is not one of their own on the ballot.  The Green Party often votes for Democrats when they are not on the ballot.  I would encourage Republican candidates running for office to consider ensuring they pay attention to conservative libertarian concerns.

Also, Montana voters rejected the Medicaid expansion voter initiative. This initiative proposed continuing Medicaid expansion in Montana and how to pay for it; going back to the well of more taxes on tobacco products. The reason Medicaid expansion appears to be problematic is that eventually, the State government will have to fund it.

When Medicaid expansion started the federal government supported 100% of the costs.  Yet those with eyes could see that eventually the federal government would reduce the support of this program shifting more cost back on State governments and forcing them to raise State taxes. Already the federal government has reduced its Medicaid support to 94% and will reduce it to 90% by 2020.  It appears obvious that the federal government will eventually make further reductions.

Depending on how you count school spending Medicaid or healthcare for more impoverished people is the largest budget item in Idaho already, before this expansion. Either we will have to raise taxes to pay for this “good idea” or other things in Idaho will suffer including K-12 schools which is the second largest budget item due to this expansion. Montana voted against this budget-busting Initiative.

Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to return Scott Sales of Bozeman as Senate president for January’s session. Scott Sales says he wants to win the Governor’s office in 2020.

Republicans elected Greg Hertz from Polson for Speaker, the top leadership post in the State House. Hertz, appears to be a pretty good conservative. He fights hard against any tax increases and wants to return excess tax dollars back to the citizens of Montana.  Greg Hertz has an A rating and is endorsed by the NRA. He was rated 0% by the AFL-CIO. Greg Hertz beat out moderate Republican Nancy Balance. Greg Hertz owns Moody’s Market Inc., which operates five grocery stores in Montana and one in Idaho.

In 2018 Republicans won a 30 – 20 majority after losing two seats in the Montana State Senate in 2018. In the State’s House or Assembly Republicans hold a 32 – 18 majority.  This is a net gain of 1 seat for the globalist Democrat Party.   This is good, but not a great result. The Senate was trying to get a veto-proof majority so they could override the progressive Democratic Governor.

When you ask if conservatives moving to Red States to make them more conservative matter, think about the Montana House, District 22 Cascade County around the city of Great Falls.  Cascade County includes Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) as well as a couple of colleges.  President Barack Obama carried Cascade County in 2008.  Thus not the most conservative county.  In the 2018 race between Republican incumbent Lola Sheldon-Gallowa (only a B rating from the NRA) and Democratic challenger Laura Dever; after provisional ballots were counted the Republican won by 14 votes. Sheldon-Galloway has 1,882 and Dever with 1,868.

If you are a conservative who lives in a deep Blue State which hates your politics and culture, you can remain where you are, where you vote may not matter, or you can move to the Rocky Mountain states where your vote matters, very, very much.  It appears the Montana political Redoubt held fairly well during the partial Blue Wave election of 2018.

H/T Charles Carroll Society

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