HELENA – The surprise Republican U.S. Senate nominee, Bob Kelleher, won’t be allowed to address the 400 delegates at the state GOP convention this week in Missoula.
Instead, he’s been offered a side room for an hour to meet with anyone interested.
State Republican Chairman Erik Iverson says time for speakers is limited, and it is being reserved for other statewide Republican candidates.
The perennial candidate surprised just about everyone by winning the six-person GOP Senate primary on June 3.
Iverson offered Kelleher a conference room at the Hilton Garden Inn for an hour Friday afternoon, where the 85-year-old Butte lawyer can talk to anyone at the convention who ventures in. Kelleher will also have a table for distributing campaign materials for his long-shot race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Max Baucus.