Voters across Montana and America made a clear decision in 2024: they want a bright red future with lower taxes, less government, and stronger families. That’s why they sent a Republican majority to our state legislature, put Republicans in every statewide office, flipped the US Senate, and elected Donald Trump as president.
However, we must not rest on our laurels. Time and again, the momentum behind the Republican agenda after general elections gets stalled by voters failing to turn out for midterm races. We must be as enthusiastic in 2026 as we were in 2024, lest Democrats take control of the House and roadblock our work for the next two years.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has its sights set on Montana’s Western Congressional District, currently represented by Congressman Ryan Zinke. They think they can flip the seat by rallying voters in leftist strongholds like Missoula to the polls. We must rally the numerous Republicans in the district to counteract them.
What does a Democrat-led America look like? We’re all familiar with it – more crime, more bureaucracy, more illegal immigration, more taxes, and less freedom. Every “solution” proposed by Democrats includes growing government, shrinking your pocketbook, and creating more problems in the long-run. They have abandoned common sense in favor of radical ideology.
In contrast, Republicans are focused on securing our border, cracking down on violent crime, lowering taxes, and reinvigorating our nation’s spirit. We’ve already accomplished a lot since 2024, but we could get even more done with a stronger, more conservative majority.
Not only do Republican voters need to turn out in November, but they also need to turn out for our primaries on June 2nd. Especially on the state level, primaries are the best tool for getting the best candidates on the ballot. The Montana Republican Party is keeping a close eye on the primaries, because we understand how Democrats abuse our open primary system to help liberal candidates and hurt conservative ones.
We also need voters to get out and oppose CI-132, which Democrat-aligned interest groups are pushing to keep Montanans in the dark about what judicial candidates really believe. Voters want judges that follow the Constitution instead of inserting their ideological beliefs into their rulings. “Nonpartisan” judicial races may sound good on the surface, but this initiative is really about keeping voters from knowing what candidates really stand for.
Republicans went on the offense in 2024, and we need to do the same in 2026; as they say, the best offense is a good defense. We must defend the Republican majorities at the state and national level if we want a bright red future instead of a dull blue disaster.
Debbie Churchill
MTGOP National Committeewoman
Published in Lee Enterprises newspapers, February 21, 2026 (https://helenair.com/opinion/column/article_eeac7a51-fd24-5ff8-b8e4-1304e11feb97.html)
