'One hell of a job': Nelson, Vance laud Fireweed Campaigns' management ahead of election day defeat

Final voters exited the lobby at the Gallatin County Courthouse on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Poll workers locked the doors. Ballot counting began.

Alone other than one Chronicle reporter covering the election was House District 67 candidate and former Belgrade mayor Russell Nelson, awaiting the first wave of reporting.

“They’ve done incredible stuff for me,” Nelson said when asked if hiring Fireweed Campaigns, a self-described politically independent Helena-based firm with only Republican, independent, and nonpartisan clients, officially admonished by the Montana GOP in April, was worth the flack.

“They are a well-organized political campaign company. At least I hired one from Montana, while the state GOP got one from Nevada.”

The April GOP resolution called upon Nelson and a list that included 17 candidates to return money received from “Democrat-funded” Fireweed and “disassociate from them and other progressive organizations attempting to influence Republican races.”

Eric Albus, 28th House District representative, was also on the list. Albus subsequently complied with state GOP demands. He denounced any association with Fireweed and stated that he would return money received from the group and its staff, per the MTGOP.

Fireweed Campaigns was founded by Lauren Caldwell, a political consultant and director for the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee from 2011 until 2015.

Nelson was unmoved by the Chronicle’s revealing of a Fireweed-hosted meeting in Anaconda in the summer of 2025. During the meeting, Fireweed officials suggested Democrats cannot win Montana’s 1st U.S. Congressional District race and would be better positioned backing select moderate Republicans or Independent candidates who can advance at least some of the agenda.

“They’ve done one hell of a job,” Nelson said. “Without it, I wouldn’t have a fighting chance. Damned good people — sort of like cheerleaders for candidates.”

The revelation partially validates claims from the state GOP and Montana Freedom Caucus, a hard-line, ultra-conservative faction of the state Republican Party, that Fireweed’s management of moderate Republican legislative primary candidates is more than meets the eye.

Caldwell and Fireweed did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

In addition to Nelson, the GOP rebuke listed Belgrade’s Shelley Vance, who represents Senate District 34 and a Fireweed client who whose re-election bid was unsuccessful.

The Chronicle asked Vance the same question the day before her downfall: Were the negative optics of Fireweed more trouble than they were worth?

“Even if I lose Fireweed was worth it,” Vance said. She listed off her same-party political attackers. “Americans for Prosperity, the Freedom Caucus, the Montana State GOP.”

“I’m not feeling sorry for myself, but it was lonely out there,” Vance added, explaining her need for campaign management. “(Fireweed) did not influence me. They never put words in my mouth about what my message was going to be.”

Vance also needed a digital-first campaign strategy in an online world.

“Times have changed, now we have these things,” Vance said, holding up her cell phone. “There’s technology out there that I’m not familiar with.”

Vance approved all ads Fireweed produced.

“A private business gets to do what they want,” she said of Fireweed’s pitch to Democratic representatives and adjacent groups.

Regarding Fireweed’s mission, Vance identified with the firm’s emphasis on a Montanan-driven strategy.

“For me, it definitely is all grassroots,” Vance said. “I’ve been going door to door. I was born in Bozeman. I’m Montana through and through. I was going to do my business with (Fireweed), a Montana company.”

Vance knocked on doors every day in April and totaled more than 1,000 in her campaign’s final hours, she said.

“I’m going to sleep well tonight because I did the best I could do,” Vance said. “The people make their choice. It’s not about me or any of the candidates, but how much voters care.

“Regardless of what the outcome is, I don’t have any regrets about hiring Fireweed, putting forth the effort.”