Sponsor Matthew Monforton may be a freshman, but he’s no shrinking violet backbencher. He’s suing the State of Montana on behalf of the Republican Party, seeking to overturn the current primary voting law, which allows any voter, however registered, to vote for any candidate. The Central Committee voted to join his suit just yesterday, so he’s been busy. The Constitution’s guarantee of the freedom of association means he should win, by the way.
He tells me it’ll be a fight every step of the way, in the Judiciary Committee, on the House floor, and the same in the Senate. Judiciary is chaired by Jerry Bennett of Libby, which is nestled in the most northwest corner of the state — the part of Montana with the strongest Birch presence. 12 R’s, 9 D’s, so we can only lose one R vote in committee, assuming unanimous D opposition. Montana’s a big, rural state, and committee members come from all over the place, towns like Box Elder, Havre, Hamilton and Sun River.
On the bright side we’re confident we’ll have the strong support of Speaker Austin Knudsen, a former student of Rob Natelson, and a big fan of his. Natelson’s visit to Helena should motivate Knudsen to do what he can for us. Depending on how much he wants this bill, that can be a lot.
We’ve got to do the robocalls I’ve described earlier in Montana. I don’t know media markets in Montana, but I’ve spent a whole lot of time in the state, and know it’s all spread out, and thinly populated. But everybody’s got a phone, and a call from Matthew, Kasich, or Palin may get more attention in Montana City or Joliet than it would get in a metropolitan area.
A House district in Montana has around 7,000 registered voters. Get half a dozen calls from back home, and your ears perk up.
I may be in Helena for a while.
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