Press Release

HELENA, Mont. – In an interview last week, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen supported the emphasis that the Trump Administration has placed on schools safely reopening this fall, while stressing that it must be done through local control by Montana communities.

An excerpt of the Politico article, which highlights the Superintendent’s solutions-based, localized approach for our schools throughout this pandemic, is below:

“Elsie Arntzen, the Republican superintendent of public instruction in Montana, said in an interview on Friday that she supported the Trump administration’s approach. She said that she didn’t view Trump’s comments about school funding as a threat to take away money. “For a president to say that schools are connected to the economy, I embrace that,” she said.

“I believe that we need to have our state open and it needs to be done very safely.” Arntzen said she believes in local control of schools and would support a local superintendent’s decision to either close or reopen classrooms. But she praised the Trump administration’s focus on reopening physical school buildings as a way to return to normalcy.

“Having schools come back to a more traditional model, a sense of normalcy, is going to reduce the panic and allow Montanans to function and allow Montana families to be able to supply an income for our children and for our children’s future,” she said. “I’m all in.”

Superintendent Arntzen has led state efforts to safely resume learning in Montana, issuing comprehensive reopening schools guidance last week. She recognizes that the final decision to either close or reopen classrooms is best made at the local level.

For more information on Superintendent Arntzen’s supportive guidance to schools for the fall, please click HERE.

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HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Republican Party today released a new video after Lt. Governor Mike Cooney received the maximum fine for violating state ethics laws by using taxpayer resources to advance his own political career.

As the video details, Cooney’s campaign believes the violation was worth it – as “a small price to pay for leadership… in an unprecedented crisis.”

If Lt. Governor Cooney was so focused on leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, then why was he politically strategizing in the middle of the work day?

The bottom line: Mike Cooney is a career politician who works for himself, not Montana, and cannot be trusted with the responsibility of governing our state.

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BREAKING: A top-10 billionaire political donor from California just wrote a $100,000 check to a super PAC backing Governor Steve Bullock.

This liberal billionaire now backing Bullock is a Mega-Donor who has already given over $16 million to Democratic candidates in 2020 alone – landing her as the sixth-highest funder in individual’s funding outside groups.

Her past support has included donations to Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, and she even gave a cool $15 million to help Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Now, this liberal billionaire is laying the groundwork to get Bullock elected.

The irony should not be lost on Montanans: Bullock never wastes a moment to rail against outside money in politics, blank checks to campaigns, and super PAC spending yet he sure does benefit immensely from it!

• Bullock: “I’ve spent my entire career fighting to get Big Money out of politics, and I’m not going to back down now.” (The Hill, 10/29/2019)
• Bullock: “That’s why we need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people’s voice.” (MTN News, 05/14/2019)
• Bullock: “Democrats need to focus on getting Big Money OUT of our elections, regardless of how it impacts their campaign.” (Washington Free Beacon, 04/30/2020)

So, while Bullock lectures us about the dangers of Big Money and the need to get it out of politics, he’s benefiting from a $100,000 check. Perhaps the most honest thing that Bullock ever said was you can “never trust a politician” … and that sure is the case here.

Here in Montana, we are fortunate to have one of the highest populations of veterans per capita in the Nation. As such, it’s imperative that our elected representatives have a strong track record of standing with our veterans and our servicemen and women.

Democrat Kathleen Williams’ record shows the opposite:

• In 2013, Kathleen was one of nine legislators who voted against HB 153, a tax credit for businesses who hire unemployed and disabled veterans.
• In 2013, Kathleen voted against HB 579, a bill to establish a task force to protect military jobs in Montana.
• In 2015, Kathleen voted against HB 322, a bill which would have created education savings accounts for, among other classes, the children of service members and deceased veterans.
• In 2018 during a Democrat primary debate, Kathleen declared her opposition to the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act, which included the largest pay raise for our troops in a decade.

Our next representative in Congress must support and defend our veterans and those that wear our Country’s uniform, and if the past is any indication, Kathleen Williams isn’t up for the job.

HELENA, Mont. – The Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices today found Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney in violation of Montana’s Code of Ethics for using taxpayer resources for campaign purposes, imposing the maximum penalty on the Lieutenant Governor for violating the public trust.

As written in the decision:

Mr. Cooney improperly used State facilities, specifically the Lieutenant Governor’s Capitol office, to participate in political Democratic Governors Association conference call in support of his candidacy for public office in violation of Mont. Code. Ann. § 2-2-121(3)(a).

The Montana Republican Party issued the following statement in response to the Commissioner’s findings:

“As a career politician with 44 years in government, Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney should understand the obligations of public office better than anyone; instead, he is now facing the maximum penalty for the illegal use of government property to advance his own political career,” said Executive Director Spenser Merwin. “When Lieutenant Governor Cooney was supposed to be working for the people of Montana, he was using taxpayer resources to strategize with the out-of-state liberals that are bankrolling his campaign. The Lieutenant Governor simply cannot be trusted to put the interests of Montanans ahead of his own.”  

The decision was made in response to a complaint filed by the Montana Republican Party on May 19, 2020 regarding this offense.

You can view the Commissioner’s decision HERE.

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HELENA, Mont. – In one swoop, Governor Bullock violated both the Hatch Act and Montana ethics laws in two of his newest campaign ads.

The ads, which both feature the photo below, put four members of military at risk for unknowingly violating the Hatch Act. It also implicates the Governor yet again for using official resources to prop up his campaign by repurposing this official photo, taken by official staff, on official time, in his campaign for U.S. Senate.

According to DOD Directive 1344.10, “Members on active duty may not participate in partisan activities such as soliciting or engaging in partisan fundraiser activities, serving as the sponsor of a partisan club, or speaking before a partisan gathering. In addition, all military members, including National Guard and Reserve forces, are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign events.”

Steve Bullock’s selfish and repeated use of this photo puts each of these military members at risk by using them as political props without their knowing.

On top of that, Bullock’s use of this photo, which was included in an official press release on May 15, 2020, is in clear violation of Montana ethics laws which states that a “public employee may not use public time, facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel, or funds for private business purposes unless authorized by law or incidental to another lawful activity.”

What was Steve Bullock thinking – including this photo in his campaign for U.S. Senate not once, but twice? Bullock is playing fast-and-loose with the rules and hoping no one notices.

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HELENA, Mont. – As the movement to ‘defund the police’ becomes mainstream, and as reports emerge about attacks against Montana’s law enforcement officers and their families, Democratic candidate for Attorney General Raph Graybill continues to remain silent.

The Montana Republican Party released the following statement in response:

“As a candidate for the top law enforcement officer position in Montana, it is inexplicable that Raph Graybill refuses to condemn attacks against Montana’s law enforcement professionals,” said Executive Director Spenser Merwin. “Graybill’s silence is a slap in the face to the Montanans that protect and serve our communities every single day, and anything short of a full condemnation of these attacks is an affront to the safety and wellbeing of the law enforcement professionals whom he hopes to oversee.” 

This isn’t the first issue that Graybill has skirted to appease the far-left.

Earlier this month, Graybill refused to condemn fellow liberal – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey – for her comments urging the burning of America.

In sharp contrast, Republican candidate for Attorney General Austin Knudsen continues to express his strong support for Montana’s local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement who he works with to protect and serve communities on a daily basis as a County Prosecutor. He has also publicly denounced the ‘defund the police’ movement as foolish.

The question remains – Will Graybill continue to cower in silence to appease liberal special interests at the expense of our law enforcement, or is he just anti-police?

 

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As our country begins to ramp up its economic recovery, California Kathleen Williams has revealed once again how out of touch she is with the needs of Montana’s small businesses, their employees, and retirees who are trying to get back up on their feet.

After months of Montanans suffering amid job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, California Kathleen is doubling-down on her Berkeley–born philosophy to root against America’s economic recovery – refusing to acknowledge that the Trump Administration’s pro-business policies which she fervently opposes are paying off for Montanans.

California Kathleen’s commitment to liberal extremism should come as no surprise.

In the state legislature, she forged a job-killing, anti-business record that would even make Bernie Sanders blush.

From her support of new regulations on farmers and small businesses to her support of millions in new taxes and fees—it’s clear that California Kathleen’s extreme agenda would not just put our economic recovery in jeopardy, but lead to massive job loss and economic stagnation.

Despite job and retail sales numbers rising, folks getting back to work, and small businesses reopening, California Kathleen would rather lament this positive news for our state and openly crusade against President Trump’s economic recovery to appease the liberal elites bankrolling her campaign.

Montana cannot afford California Kathleen’s extremism.

HELENA, Mont. – Democratic Governors Association-backed Super PAC, Good Jobs Montana, is investing $200,000 in Montana’s gubernatorial race to boost career bureaucrat Mike Cooney’s campaign.

Cooney is the first candidate in the gubernatorial race to have big outside money supporting his campaign, despite making an explicit commitment against outside spending in this very election nine months ago to the day.

Last October, Cooney railed against outside spending in Montana’s elections, going so far as to call for his opponents to take pledges to limit outside spending in the gubernatorial race. Even if other Democratic gubernatorial candidates didn’t sign the pledge, Cooney committed – at the time – to “follow the conditions” regardless.

The Montana Republican Party issued the following statement in response to Lieutenant Governor Cooney’s blatant hypocrisy:

“In a matter of nine months, Lieutenant Governor Cooney has gone from promising to keep outside money away from this election, to welcoming a $200k dark money ad-blitz to boost his cash-strapped campaign,” said Executive Director Spenser Merwin. “It is now clear that Cooney’s pledge against outside spending and dark money was nothing more than political theatre, calling into serious question whether Cooney can be taken at his word in his campaign to be Montana’s next governor.” 

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Governor Steve Bullock is running his first TV-ad touting his run for U.S. Senate and right out-of-the gate he fumbles badly with one fake claim after another … that he won’t take orders from party bosses, and that he won’t take any money from corporate PACS.

Give us a break.

Bullock has a STRONG history of taking orders from party bosses … the ONLY reason he’s running for the U.S. Senate is because President Obama and Chuck Schumer told him to.

• • Remember … Before, during, and after Bullock’s failed and dismal presidential run, he vehemently denied having any interest – or the skillset – to run for the Senate.
  • Then following private meetings with President Obama and Chuck Schumer, Bullock was strong-armed into entering the race.

Bullock’s history on taking corporate PAC money is even worse…

Bullock tells Montanans he won’t take contributions from Corporate PACs yet he’s taken nearly $200,000 from Democratic Leadership PACs – which are funded by Corporate PAC Money.

Additionally, in 2020 alone, Bullock accepted nearly half a million dollars from CEOs and high-level executives from big corporations like Apple, Google, Disney, Uber, and more!

Bullock’s paying lip service to Montanans while he backdoors corporate PAC and executive money into his campaign and takes orders from Schumer and Obama.

Montanans deserve better.