Montana GOP Officially Censures 9 Republican Senators After Bipartisan Votes Shake Senate Majority
Nine Republican Montana state senators were formally censured by the Montana Republican Party this spring after voting with all 18 Democratic senators to create a working majority in the 2025 legislative session. The action marks a major intra-party conflict just months before key election cycles.
The move has ignited sharp division between GOP leadership and the group of legislators, sometimes labeled “The Nasty Nine” by critics within their own party.
According to Ballotpedia, the party issued the censure April 4, saying the senators “undermined the Republican majority leadership” by aligning with Democrats on Senate procedure and rule changes. The party also said it will no longer recognize the senators as Republicans and will withdraw campaign support going forward.
The censured lawmakers are Jason Ellsworth, Bruce Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Joshua Kassmier, Gayle Lammers, Denley Loge, Wendy McKamey, Russel Tempel and Shelley Vance.
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Their cooperation with Democrats helped reorganize committee assignments and pass a series of measures during the 69th Montana Legislature, which convened in January and adjourned April 30, creating a 27-23 majority.
Eight of the nine responded in an open letter to Montanans, writing, “We were elected to serve you, not to follow orders from political insiders,” pushing back against party leadership’s criticism.
The episode matters because it exposes growing tensions in the Republican Party between the legislative leadership and a bloc willing to break ranks, potentially reshaping Republican primaries and campaign strategies in 2026.
Republicans in Montana still control the legislature and governorship, but this rift may spur contested primaries and new alliances.
What happens next…
Party officials and the censured Republicans must now decide if reconciliation is possible or if the feud will shape candidate slates in upcoming elections.
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