Whereas, on January 6, 2025, nine Republican Senators joined with all 18 Democrats
in the Senate (the “Democrat Party”), undermining the Republican majority leadership,
and giving control of the Senate floor to Democrats, without any warning to Republican
leadership during the two months prior to January 6, 2025;
Whereas, the nine Republican Senators are: Jason Ellsworth, SD43; Wendy McKamey,
SD12; Gayle Lammers, SD21; Josh Kassmier, SD13; Butch Gillespie, SD9; Gregg
Hunter, SD15; Denley Loge, SD45; Russ Tempel, SD14; and Shelley Vance, SD34 (the
“Nine Senators”);
Whereas, the MTGOP called on the Nine Senators to cease obstructing key Republican
priorities, return to the faithful representation of their constituents and the Republican
Party, uphold the trust of the voters who elected them, and to work together with
Republican leadership;
Whereas, despite calls of the MTGOP and the efforts made by Republican Senate
leadership to bring unity to the Republican Party, the Nine Senators continue to align
with the Democrat Party in the Senate;
Whereas, the MTGOP recognizes that the votes taken by the Nine Senators are not
about policy issues, but rather solely pertaining to ethics, procedure and process which
governs the way the Senate operates, and that this is an unprecedented alliance with
the Democrat Party by the Nine Senators as follows:

• Beginning on January 6, 2025, the Nine Senators voted with the Democrat Party
  on a substitute motion by Minority Leader Flowers to undermine the committee
  assignments made by Republican-led Committee on Committees, so that all
  committee nominations go through the Executive Review Committee Chair,
  Jason Ellsworth;
• The Nine Senators again voted with the Democrat Party on January 9, 2025, to
  defeat the Republican leadership’s efforts to pass the proposed amended Senate
  Rules, despite significant efforts by Republican leadership to work with the Nine
  Senators;
• On February 6, 2025, the Nine Senators voted with the Democrat Party to
  suspend the Senate Ethics Committee investigation in the matter of Senator
  Jason Ellsworth;
• Ultimately, the final report of the Senate Ethics Committee substantiated the
  conclusions of the Legislative Audit investigation that Senator Ellsworth artificially
  bifurcated contracts to avoid the required procurement process, which
  “constitutes an abuse of his government position” and resulted in “a waste of
  state resources by Senator Ellsworth;”
• The Nine Senators remain aligned as recently as March 24, 2025 where, despite
  a call of the MTGOP Executive Board for Senator Ellsworth to resign or be
  expelled in light of the Senate Ethics Report, they voted with a majority of the
  Democrats to defeat a motion to expel Senator Ellsworth from the Senate;
• On March 6, 2025, the Nine Senators voted in alignment with a motion made by
  Senator Vance to refer Senate President Regier to the Ethics Committee
  (bypassing the normal process of referral to Legislative Audit as was afforded to
  Senator Ellsworth) in an effort to remove the Senate President.
  o Note: These allegations were unsubstantiated and unfounded as
  determined in the Legislative Audit findings dated March 26, 2025,
  wherein Senate President Matt Regier was cleared of all allegations of
  fraud, waste, or abuse.

Whereas, in the opinion of the MTGOP Executive Board, the Nine Senators have
engaged in a coordinated scheme with Senate Democrats designed to undermine the
Majority Republican Senate Caucus throughout the term of the 69th Legislative Session;
Whereas, the actions of the Nine Senators betray the principles of the MTGOP,
Montana Republicans, and the Montana voters of each respective district who put their
trust in the Nine Senators;
Whereas, the Nine Senators continue to hold themselves out as Republicans, and as a
result may be believed by some to be considered as speaking for Montana Republicans
even though their actions prove otherwise;
Whereas, the Montana Republican Party recognizes that Montana statutes do not grant
the authority to any entity, governmental or private, to forcibly change any individual’s
chosen political affiliation, without the individual who is changing their political affiliation
choosing to do so themselves;
Whereas, Montana Republicans have expressed their desire for the Montana
Republican Party to formally censure the Nine Senators for violating the precepts of
integrity and due process, for failing to faithfully represent the majority of Montana
Republican voters, and for neglecting their duties to represent the will of the people who
elected them as well as the political party they claim to be a member of, support, and
share values with;
Whereas, at great time and expense to the MTGOP Executive Board, the MTGOP
Executive Board cancelled a scheduled zoom meeting on March 20th and extended an
invitation to the Nine Senators to appear at an in-person meeting on March 27th to
explain their actions;
Whereas, the Nine Senators have chosen not to acknowledge, respond to, or satisfy
the call to appear before the MTGOP Executive Board at its meeting;
Whereas, the Nine Senators have failed to recognize that their elected position is as a
representative of the Montana Republican Party and that they were elected by a

majority of Montana Republican voters to represent the will, values, expectations, and
the formally stated preferences of that majority of Montana Republican voters; and
Whereas, the Montana Republican Party has no legal requirement to recognize or
embrace the Nine Senators as representatives, friends, or allies of the Montana
Republican Party.
Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Executive Committee of the MTGOP makes it be
known that:

1. The Nine Senators be censured for their collective, willful, and continual
   alignment with the Democrat Party throughout the 69th Legislative Session;
2. The Nine Senators are no longer considered by the MTGOP as Republicans for
   the damage they have exacted on the Montana Senate by undermining the
   Republican Senate leadership, the Republican Party, and the will of the Montana
   Republican voters;
3. The MTGOP Executive Board unanimously no longer supports the Nine Senators
   because they have disqualified themselves as speaking on behalf of Montana
   Republicans; and
4. The Montana Republican Party will withhold any future political funding for the
   Nine Senators.
   Therefore, be it further resolved that the Executive Committee of the MTGOP,
   through its Chairman, shall:
5. Make this resolution public knowledge to the Nine Senators: Jason Ellsworth,
   SD43; Wendy McKamey, SD12; Gayle Lammers, SD21; Josh Kassmier, SD13;
   Butch Gillespie, SD9; Gregg Hunter, SD15; Denley Loge, SD45; Russ Tempel,
   SD14; and Shelley Vance, SD34, and to the media;
6. Advise media outlets to stop referring to the Nine Senators as Republicans; and
7. Notify all Republican Central Committees and Republican voters statewide of the
   irreparable and harmful actions taken by the Nine Senators.