Recent years
In August 2025, the Montana Democratic Party came under renewed scrutiny following reports that a party financial controller with close links to party leadership, Abbey Lee Cook, had been embezzling donations from Democratic candidates and affiliated organizations. [3] Cook, entered pleas of guilty to three federal charges of wire fraud. [4]
In November 2024, all Montana Democrats running in statewide or federal races lost to GOP candidates, [5] [6] continuing a trend of declining fortune for the Democratic Party in Montana. Before 2024, Montana's federal delegation continuously included at least one Democrat from 1911 until Sen. Jon Tester's 2024 loss to Republican Tim Sheehy, and as recently as 2013, Democrats held all statewide elected offices. [7] In state legislative races, Democrats overturned the GOP supermajority following beneficial redistricting [8] that reduced the total number of competitive districts favoring safer Democratic and Republican districts.
In November 2022, Montana Republicans secured a supermajority in both legislative houses. [9]
In June 2022, NPR reported that Montana had two U.S. House districts for the first time since 1992, and while the Montana Democratic Party had three candidates in that month's primary, it hadn't had representation in the U.S. House since 1994. [10] In August 2022, Montana Democrats meeting in Butte announced a new platform, largely statements of principal, such as supporting abortion rights and declaring a "state of climate emergency." New policy objectives included restoring the Judicial Nominating Commission, recently eliminated by Republicans, and establishing a panel to examine atrocities at the state's former boarding schools for Native Americans. Sheila Hogan remained the state party's executive director; the only Democrat in statewide or federal office at the time was Senator Jon Tester. [11]
In February 2022, Democratic senator Jon Tester criticized the larger state party for not doing more to appeal to and engage with "Middle America," clarifying he meant the area between the Appalachians the Rocky Mountains. [12]
In January 2020, Sandi Luckey, previously the state party treasurer for the Democratic party, was elected executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Robyn Driscoll was party chair at that time. [13] The state party announced in May 2020 that it was creating a Steering Committee for the Blue Bench Program, and that it would have three of those positions dedicated permanently for Native American leaders. The Blue Bench Program recruited and developed local candidates to run for office. [14] At that time, the state party's voting delegates largely consisted of legislative leadership, Democrats in statewide elected office, and leaders in Democratic Central Committees for state countries. The party had no delegate votes assigned specifically for Native Americans, and three voting delegates at state conventions who were Native Americans. [15] The Associated Press reported in June 2020 that the state party voted to establish tribal committees to represent the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Fort Peck, Fort Belknap, Rocky Boy's, Blackfeet and Flathead reservations and the Little Shell-Chippewa tribes, and the committees would operate "like county central committees, whose delegates vote on the party's platform, rules and officers and nominate candidates for special elections." Luckey, still the state party executive director, said the move made the Montana Democratic Party the first US state country to formally create a formal role based on population for Native Americans. [15]
During a special election for a Congressional seat in 2017, state party officials "grew frustrated" according to The New York Times when national Democratic Party leaders were implored by Democratic Senator Jon Tester to spend national party money on their candidate Rob Quist, but declined. Quist ultimately lost the seat to Republican Greg Gianforte. [16]
