Montana fundraising reports show fierce Republican legislative primaries in full swing

George Nikolakakos, a moderate Republican legislator running for the state senate, turned heads last week when quarterly fundraising reports revealed a $95,000 loan to his own campaign, a sum that could easily power multiple legislative candidates over the finish line.

“Jesus,” Sen. Greg Hertz, chair of the Montana Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, said when he heard that $95,000 figure.

“That’s the largest I've ever seen,” he added.

Divisions between Montana Republicans are as deep as they’ve ever been, and hardliner organizations like Americans for Prosperity and the Montana Freedom Caucus have been toiling away for months against centrist GOP incumbents who typically stay quiet on culture war issues while effectively running the Legislature from a coalition forged with most Democrats.

In Nikolakakos’ case, he’s also facing a hostile primary challenge from Randy Pinocci, who has branded himself as a “RINO hunter” (RINO stands for “Republican in Name Only”).

“It just feels like a total war cycle,” Nikolakakos said.

This election season has also given rise to a new player in Montana politics: Fireweed Campaigns, a campaign consulting company that was formed in 2024 but appears to have taken on many more candidates this cycle. The firm has made a name for itself in the state’s political world as the group running campaigns for more centrist Republicans in contested primaries. If a candidate was at odds with the hardline faction of Republicans during the 2025 legislative session and they are running for reelection, they are likely employing Fireweed.

Notably, the company is in part run by former Democratic staffers or former staff at left-leaning organizations. The company’s owner, Lauren Caldwell, is the former director for the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the group dedicated to getting Democrats elected to the Legislature.

“They’re being backed by Democrats,” said Finley Warden, a Republican House candidate running against one of Fireweed's candidates. “They’re obviously not being backed by the official Montana Democratic Party, but they're being backed by people in that orbit.”

When asked about the shift from Democratic legislative efforts to Republicans, Fireweed spokesperson Caitie Butler pointed out that they do not “exclusively” work with Republicans, and have also managed ballot initiatives, nonpartisan municipal races and independent candidates.

Butler added that Fireweed "does not have explicit criteria to evaluate a candidate."

"Our staff want Montana to remain a great place to live, work, and raise a family, and we work with candidates or on issues we believe will be good for Montana and result in representative, effective leadership," Butler said in an email.

First quarter campaign fundraising numbers reveal that most of those center-right incumbents are outpacing their farther-right challengers in terms of fundraising, but many of those candidates are buoyed by self-funding. And when it comes to expenses, incumbents are spending large portions of their cash on Fireweed, while the company's staff are simultaneously donating the maximum amount to their primary campaigns.

The company charges $3,000 per month for campaign management and $900 per month for compliance advisement, according to a staff member.

Montana’s legislative districts were drawn in a way that nearly all lean heavily blue or deeply red, so most of the state’s legislative races will be determined in the June 2 primary election. Here are the latest fundraising numbers — from Jan. 1 to March 15 — in eight of the hotly contested Republican primary elections.

Senate District 12 – south and west Great Falls

Nikolakakos is one of the most frequent targets of the far-right’s attacks. He served two terms in the statehouse and is now running for the Senate.

Nikolakakos acknowledged that he is not anticipating raising enough money to pay himself back for the $95,000 loan, but said that there are upsides to self-funding.

“I think there’s a fair amount of voters who like that I can’t be bought, can’t be influenced,” Nikolakakos said.

He added that he made a lot of his money from investments, particularly in real estate, and his military retirement.

He spent $23,224 this quarter and ended the reporting period with $84,065 in the bank, significantly bolstered by his own loan.

Nikolakakos is being challenged by Pinocci, who is termed out at the Montana Public Service Commission, setting up one of the most closely watched races in Cascade County.

Pinocci, another well-known entity in Montana Republican politics, raised $3,935 this period and ended it with $2,934 on hand. He previously loaned himself $4,000.

Nikolakakos’s campaign expenses do not include Fireweed, but he says that’s because he only recently started using their services.

Senate District 9 – Shelby, Conrad, Wolf Creek, Lincoln, north Helena Valley

As far as legislators go, there is no sharper thorn in the side of the far-right than Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, who is again running for Senate after more than two decades in the Legislature.

His enemies and allies agree: Jones has been one of the most impactful legislators in recent history. As chair of the appropriations committee, he is the architect of the state budget and he will create an alliance with anyone to get his priorities over the finish line.

This cycle, the opposition against Jones is strong, with robocalls impugning him starting nearly a year ago.

This period Jones raised $21,949, spending roughly the same amount of money and ending with nearly $40,000 on hand. Jones previously loaned his campaign $25,000. He paid Fireweed $8,931 this period, while three of its staffers including Caldwell maxed out donations to his primary campaign.

Jones is being challenged by Rep. Zack Wirth, R-Wolf Creek, who did not outraise Jones, but still raked in a significant sum: $16,207. Wirth ended the quarter with $16,644 in the bank. Wirth has made multiple loans to his own campaign, totaling roughly $6,700, which includes items that are tracked by the Commissioner of Political Practices as in-kind donations.

Notably, Wirth received $1,200 collectively from the Gallatin, Lake and Dawson Republican Central Committees.

Senate District 11 – north and east Great Falls, Malmstrom Air Force Base

In the Senate District 11 race both candidates have poured large sums of money into their candidacies. Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, loaned himself $20,000, while his far-right challenger, former Rep. Steve Galloway, gave $11,000 to own campaign.

Galloway, a key figure in Great Falls Republican politics, slightly outpaced Buttrey raising $2,685 from other sources. He ends the reporting period with $13,199.

Outside of his loan, Buttrey raised $1,020, including a maximum $470 donation from one of Fireweed’s staff members, although it is unclear if Fireweed is running his campaign.

“Fireweed staff members made personal political contributions as individual donors to candidates they believe in,” Butler said in an email. “With such low contribution limits, candidates can struggle to raise money in highly competitive races, especially candidates who do not have access to institutional support through a political party.”

The Montana Republican Party vowed to withhold financial support from the campaigns of this faction of the more centrist Republican candidates.

Buttrey ends the reporting period with $8,982 in the bank.

Senate District 34 – Belgrade, Logan, Churchill

During the 2025 legislative session, a group of nine Republicans aligned with Democrats on a number of key votes, which enraged the other Republicans at the Legislature and the Republican State Central Committee.

All eyes are on Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, as she is the only Republican in the faction of those nine senators who is up for reelection in their same district (some of them are running for different districts, and others are not up this cycle).

She raised $7,675 this cycle and ended it with $13,489 leftover, with 90% of her expenses going to Fireweed. Fireweed staff also maxed out donations to her primary campaign.

Running against Vance is Rep. Caleb Hinkle, R-Belgrade, who often weighs in on culture war issues. He raised a few thousand less than Vance, but ended the period with more money than her at $15,395.

Senate District 43 – Hamilton and southern Bitterroot Valley

Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, raised $17,030 this quarter and spent $15,642. Roughly two-thirds, or $10,500, of that quarterly expenditure went to Fireweed. Bedey, a solid ally of Jones in the House, ends the reporting period with nearly $20,000 in the bank. He loaned his campaign $10,000 in July, and three of Fireweed’s staffers also gave maximum donations to his campaign fund.

Bedey is running against fellow House member Rep. Kathy Love, R-Hamilton. Her campaign raised $12,178 this quarter — including a $3,000 loan to herself — and she ended the period with $9,824 on hand.

House District 55 – Red Lodge, Joliet, Bridger

Another member of the faction of moderates is Red Lodge Republican Rep. Brad Barker, who raised $15,000 this quarter, ending with $9,073. Of the nearly $8,000 his campaign spent, $5,535 of it went to Fireweed, while also receiving staff donations.

Republican Mary Horman is challenging Barker for the second election cycle in a row. She raised far less than Barker this quarter — $5,100 — but ended the reporting period with more cash on hand at $10,200.

House District 76 – Deer Lodge, Philipsburg, Seeley Lake, west Helena Valley

Another one of Fireweed’s candidates is Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, who has elicited the ire of some of the farthest right Republicans and raised $14,503 — including about $1,000 of his own money. Fitzpatrick ended the period with roughly the same amount in his reelection bid for House District 76.

His primary opponent Trish Schreiber, however, raised about $4,000 more than he did and ended the reporting period with nearly three times the amount of cash on hand, bolstered by a $25,000 loan she gave her campaign back in October.

House District 13 – Polson

Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, has also been hammered by hardline Republicans. She has donated $1,600 to her campaign so far and raised $9,150 in the first couple months of the year. She spent $7,744, and $5,850 of that went to Fireweed. As of mid-March, she has $1,905 in the bank.

Warden, a 20-year-old student who has worked as an aide for Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, raised nearly $12,000 and loaned himself $3,000. He goes into the rest of the election with $12,795 to spend.

The primary election is June 2.