• Republicans want to alter the rules for the 2024 senate race

  • The proposed bill would effect only that race (sunsets in 2025)

  • It would change it so the top two candidates no matter the party go to the general election

    • Jungle style like California

  • Some lawmakers are considering adding an amendment that would make it apply to other Sen races in the future

  • The sponsor of the bill claims that he had designed the bill to only apply to the upcoming sen race because he saw it as a test run

    • Many are calling bull

• Even some Republicans admit that this bill seems designed to help them win a particular election

• The bill effetely blocks third parties from the general

• Republicans want to consolidate opposition

  • Jon Tester, the in incumbent, is a Democrat

  • This race is very important for control of senate

  • This is also expected to be one of the tightest races in the country

• Past Tester races were close enough that GOP blames 3rd party candidates for his victory

• The state senate approved the 2024 primary change by a 27-23 vote last week

  • 7 Republicans voted against

• It appears that allies of Sen Steve Daines (MT) have been involved

  • Chuck Denowh (a lobbyist who worked for Daines 2020 campaign and has Montana Republican ties)

    • In emails obtained by the NYT from Denowh to multiple law makers including to the bill's sponsor

      • “We would like it to apply only to United States Senate races,” 

      • “We’d like a sunset in 2025,”

        • We don't know who "we" is

      • The bill's sponsor (Hertz) quickly agreed with the changes and asked the senate majority leader to make it a priority

  • The sudden changes and quick reintroduction after an initial failure in committee was surprising to many Republican lawmakers

  • In a text chain with 8 Republican senators Fitzpatrick responded to lawmaker concerns by saying the bill "came from Daines" and that it was the “brainchild of the Jason Thielman,” 

    • Thielman is longtime Daines aid who is now executive director of the N.R.S.C

  • At least two R lawmakers in Montana have been pressured by Daine's office to support the bill

  • Other Republican state senators got a text from state Republican party officials explicitly saying the bill was needed to beat Tester

• Some Republican lawmakers have said that they like the idea overall of doing a jungle primary but do not like the part where it only applies to the Senate 2024 election

• There is so far no front runner for the Republicans for challenging Tester

• Republican lawmakers have said that they are receiving calls from constituents about not liking the bill and not just from Democrats

  • Sen Welborn received multiple texts including one from a constituent who is very much a Republican said the bill amounted to election interference

PC: AP