‘Step on the gas,’ says state GOP Chairman Art Wittich

MISSOULA — Montana needs a Republican party because it’s the most effective organization to fight socialism — “end of story,” said state GOP Chairman Art Wittich.

“You cannot name any other association that is as effective at electing people into government to fight socialism, not big oil PACs, not the NRA, not the Chamber of Commerce, not AFP,” Wittich said, in reference to political action committees, the National Rifle Association and Americans for Prosperity.

But some Democrats want to infiltrate the party, he said.

One year earlier, Wittich said, Republicans called for a new direction with the party, a “government to be as conservative as possible,” and the party was delivering despite obstacles.

Friday, Wittich called on Republicans at the state GOP convention to continue to expose interlopers, prevent them from meddling in Republican affairs, and band together around “shared conservative ideals.”

He called on the group to support candidates for the Montana Supreme Court and federal office, to ensure corporate political spending on campaigns can continue because “spending provides voice,” and to also “forgive those who slandered you.”

“I forgive those who slandered me,” Wittich said.

Wittich’s address came after a bruising primary election that pitted candidates the state GOP pushed as truly conservative versus ones it viewed as sellouts to liberals, or actual Democrats.

“In the current vernacular, they are party fluid,” Wittich said

Ahead of the primary, the state GOP lambasted candidates it considered not conservative enough, but in his speech, the chairman said it was time to rally around Republicans.

He said of 105 contested legislative races, 21 are in swing districts, and the party has already reached out to some candidates it had not supported in the primary and offered to help them.

“We have to win the general races,” Wittich said.

In the primary, some top targets of the state GOP won anyway, such as Rep. Llew Jones, considered architect of the most complex financial legislation that passed, and seeking a Senate seat.

But some targets of the state party lost, including Rep. John Fitzpatrick and Rep. Linda Reksten, and the newcomers it supports instead won out, Trish Schreiber and Finley Warden.

“We need to maintain our legislative majorities,” Wittich said.

Republicans had a supermajority in the 2023 Montana Legislature and a majority in 2025.

“Let’s take the fight to the Democrats and defeat their socialist desires,” Wittich said. “We can and must work together. Freedom demands it.”

He said the party needs to support Dan Wilson for the Montana Supreme Court and “close ranks” around Aaron Flint, running for the U.S. House in the western district, and Kurt Alme, running for the U.S. Senate.

“President (Donald) Trump is counting on us,” Wittich said.

He also said it needs to “stand strong” against the “liberal machine” that would silence its voice through proposed ballot initiatives.

“They want to gag you,” Wittich said.

He said a constitutional initiative that judicial elections “remain, quote unquote nonpartisan” isn’t based in reality because those races already are partisan, run by “trial lawyers, environmental people, unions.”

“It’s a matter of survival for them, because no matter what a Republican legislature sends to a Republican governor and signs into law, they have the Supreme Court to overturn it,” Wittich said.

He also urged the audience to fight against a proposed initiative to limit corporate spending in Montana elections.

Wittich said no one likes “the ugliness of campaigns” and all the flyers in the mail, but he said “political spending provides voice.”

“We want more speech,” Wittich said.

Some Republicans at odds with the state GOP have said Wittich is offering divisive leadership that is toxic to the party, and his approach will result in a loss of seats to Democrats.

In his talk of roughly 25 minutes, Wittich acknowledged a couple of Republicans urged him to step down, but he said he’s not a quitter. He wants to capitalize on momentum.

“We’re stepping on the gas,” Wittich said.

He said Republicans want the caucus minority to negotiate with the caucus instead of with Democrats, who have “dreams of bigger government.”

Wittich said in the first week of the 2027 Montana Legislature, the state GOP will hold a fundraiser with a tour of the Capitol, and the Montana Republican Party will have a chance to meet all its legislators.

“And those legislators are going to know that we’re watching them,” Wittich said.