Montana Democrats Getting Help from the Top—Like it or Not

By Robert Struckman, 10-30-08

About two weeks ago, retired Billings high school teacher Gary Branae, who’s running against Republican Jack Sands for Montana’s 27th Senate seat, listened with surprise to angry messages from voters appalled by negative campaign calls made against Sands.

“It was an attack piece on my opponent, tying him to criminals, to meth users and dealers. Criminals, they said!” Branae said. “I was furious with that. I questioned whether I even wanted to stay in the race.”

It turns out the phone calls, and brochures mailed to the district, were the work of Winning Connections, a direct-action group based in Washington, D.C., and paid for as an independent expenditure by the Montana Democratic Party. The expense hasn’t been reported yet. By law, independent expenditures can’t be coordinated with candidates. The ads attacked Sands, an attorney, for practicing criminal defense, something Branae says he is strongly—in favor of.

“Someone has to defend the accused. We’re presumed innocent in this country,” Branae said. “This all flew in the face of that.”

This year, more so than any time in recent memory, the Montana Democratic Party has prepped itself well and has money to spare. With Governor Brian Schweitzer and veteran U.S. Sen. Max Baucus both shoo-ins for re-election, the party has the resources to go after state legislative races with renewed vigor. Many Democratic candidates say they’re getting plenty of help - maybe even too much sometimes, as in the case of Branae.

It hasn’t always been this way. Some Democrats have criticized Montana’s highest profile elected officials in recent years for not doing more for the party as a whole. Despite Governor Schweitzer’s overwhelming popularity, the legislative election two years ago left Republicans in control of the House, resulting in bitter partisan fighting that undermined some of the Governor’s initiatives.

Baucus, for his part, who has served in Washington since the 1970s, rode through a long stretch of Republican dominance in the state by often standing apart, at least publicly, from fellow Democrats.

Not this year. Branae and others credit Baucus, and fellow Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester, with helping tremendously.

Baucus is running against surprise Republican nominee Bob Kelleher, an 85-year-old who wants the government to nationalize major industries and move to a parliamentary-style democracy and hardly has the support of his own party. That’s left the Baucus campaign with time and resources to spare.

Tester, who has four years before he has to face the voters again, recently toured the Hi-Line to support candidates there, said state Democratic Party spokesman Kevin O’Brien.

Further boosting Democrat candidates for legislature is the fact that advocacy groups and presidential candidate Barack Obama’s offices in the state have registered record numbers of new voters, who could tip the balance in tight races.

The lack of significant and ongoing polls in Montana make it hard to anticipate results on Election Day, but O’Brien said party officials feel confident, having lined up opponents against many Republican incumbents as well as a full slate of candidates for open seats.

“We’re in a position to re-take control of the House of Representatives, where we were one seat down, and retain control of the Senate, where we were one seat up,” O’Brien said.

Yet some Democrats, especially in the Billings area, have mixed feelings about all the help.

“They don’t really understand what it’s like here,” Branae said, giving voice to frustrations of others in his party. “They need a stronger presence of actual party people here, so they can comprehend what’s going on.”

O’Brien dismissed the criticisms.

“What you’re seeing this year is the best-financed, most coordinated legislative effort in the history of the state,” O’Brien said. “It’s unprecedented. I think you’ll see a big night for us on Tuesday, and I’m proud of it.”