A clean slate for Montana Democrats

by Jesse Mullen, Deer Lodge

Montana Democrats face a rare opportunity: a complete reset. After years of decline, culminating in the 2024 election, the party is rudderless. There’s a chance to rebuild, a prospect rarely afforded to a major political force.

I became involved with Democratic Party politics after a similarly disastrous 2020 election, wherein Montana Democrats lost across the board despite massive gains by the party in other states and at the national level. The situation in my home county, Powell, exemplified the struggles. Powell County hadn’t had an organized Democratic committee since 1974. My attempts to contact the state party about organizing were met with silence. Surprisingly, the local Republican committee provided better support in those early days, allowing me to inquire about their organization.

Then, in May 2022, our state senator, Mark Sweeney, unexpectedly passed away, requiring a district convention.  Suddenly interested due to a procedural requirement that necessitated a Powell County committee to help replace a state senator, the party provided a list of donors. With some effort, I reorganized the Powell County Democratic Central Committee after 48 years. A year and a half later, I found myself on the state executive board and, astonishingly, the only Democratic candidate for Secretary of State.

The Montana Democratic Party’s desperation for candidates was so severe that a relative newcomer became their nominee for Secretary of State. Not only in my race but for many statewide positions, the party needed someone, anyone, to run. Like most Democratic primaries, my race went uncontested. The few that did have primaries often featured candidates who seemed to have jumped in simply to help the party-backed candidate fundraise. Republican State Attorney General Austin Knudsen has been particularly brazen about exploiting this loophole, but both parties engage in the practice. For big-ticket races without an incumbent, a small group often handpicks a candidate they believe has a chance, makes positive or negative promises to potential opponents to clear the path, and then install someone with little name recognition, with no real intention of winning, so as not to embarrass the preferred candidate and provide increased fundraising.

State parties sometimes gaslight those who accuse them of having “preferred candidates.” This becomes particularly difficult to deny when, for example, the assistant director of the party receives approval to take on a second full-time job as a candidate’s campaign manager before a primary, as was the case with Shannon O’Brien and Justin Ailport. That sort of overt support undermines the claims of neutrality and creates an uneven playing field. While O’Brien’s race would have likely remained uncontested on the Democratic side, that double standard made the party appear disingenuous.

While there are countless examples of incompetence, nepotism, personal grudges, and even corruption within each of Montana’s political parties, there’s not enough space in one column to address them all. Instead, I want to focus on the positive for Montana democrats: You have a clean slate.

There are no high-ranking elected Democrats left. The party director resigned. The party neglected to build a bench of prospective talent, and nobody has a clear plan forward.

Political parties are behemoths. Rarely do people receive an opportunity to rebuild one from scratch. For those who feel abandoned, harried, and harassed by the current state of the party, this is a chance to re-engage. As opportunists vie for millions in donations and contracts the Democratic Party receives, there will be a fight. But for the first time in decades, a major political force in our state is rudderless. This clean slate allows Montana Democrats to rethink their strategy, rebuild their infrastructure, and reconnect with voters. If you’re ready to help shape the future of the Montana Democratic Party, contact your local party organization.

Jesse Mullen is a former member of the Montana Democratic Party executive board and resides in Deer Lodge. He ran as a Democrat for Secretary of State in the 2024 general election.