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Failing Factions

The recent Republican Primary election results provided plenty to argue about.

By Kellyn Brown

The recent Republican Primary election results provided plenty to argue about. They were a referendum on conservatives or moderates. More Democrats crossed over to influence the GOP results. Contests had candidates with similar views syphoning votes from each other and allowing others to prevail. The results varied widely.

In the Flathead, at least, a few candidates considered more moderate won a few races, while others, considered more conservative, also prevailed. It was a mixed bag and it’s difficult to discern a clear-cut trend.

In one of the most closely watched local legislative races, Speaker of the House Mark Blasdel easily defeated former Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher, 67 to 33 percent, in the race for the Senate District 4 seat. Also, Phil Mitchell more than doubled up on incumbent Flathead County Commissioner Cal Scott. Both of the winners could be considered the more conservative candidate, but their lengthy portfolios extend beyond that.

As speaker during the last Legislative session, Blasdel led the chamber to unanimous passage of the state’s primary budget. Following the vote, he praised the “smooth, acrimony-free floor session” and the “bipartisan cooperation.” His tenure as speaker drew accolades from Republicans and Democrats alike.

“I think the world of him and I’m so proud of how he’s run the House” Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso said of his colleague. In other words, Blasdel is hardly a conservative firebrand.

For Mitchell’s part, he served on the Whitefish City Council and, while he campaigned for commission on his conservative credentials, he also emphasized the importance of community involvement in regard to pressing issues like the water compact, Whitefish doughnut and Agency on Aging.

In other races, those considered more moderate Republican candidates were victorious. Dr. Albert Olszewski defeated Mike Hebert in the House District 11 race, 52 to 48 percent; and Frank Garner easily defeated Ronalee Skees in the House District 7 contest, 74 to 26 percent.

In the run-up to the primary, former and current lawmakers were vocal about the importance of the primary. Sen. Bruce Tutvedt openly touted “responsible Republicans” who could pass legislation instead of promote “rhetoric and gridlock” like many of his party’s more conservative members. He threw his support behind Fisher, Garner and Olszewski.

On the other side, Kalispell Sen. Verdell Jackson (who couldn’t run for reelection due to term limits) called the upcoming Legislature “the most important session since I was elected to the Montana House in 1999.” He called Tutvedt’s faction “irresponsible” and urged voters to choose Blasdel, Skees and Hebert.

In the end, local voters in the Republican primary didn’t listen very well. They chose some moderates, conservatives and some candidates who fall somewhere in between.

Despite the reoccurring storyline that there is a rift in the Republican Party, voters appeared to simply choose who they thought were the strongest candidates and didn’t follow any noticeable patterns.

Sure, analysts can comb the numbers and speculate about the results, especially in the U.S. House race, where former Whitefish Sen. Ryan Zinke won the Republican nomination with just 33 percent of the vote. Corey Stapleton and Matt Rosendale – considered more conservative options – garnered 29 and 28 percent respectively. Would one of them have won if the other had dropped out? Perhaps, but Zinke didn’t exactly sound like a moderate during the U.S. House primary debates.

Republican leaders voiced their opinions on the priorities and values of their party moving forward. At this point, however, it appears voters are reluctant to coalesce around one faction or another.