Damn! Did the MTGOP really “WHEREAS” all this embarrassing shit? Yes, they did, and before we get to the list of Fireweed Frauds I want to explain what seems to be happening to Montana Republicans, starting with this guy.
Llew Jones is widely considered to be the political architect of Montana’s “nasty nine” grouping of Republicans who aligned with and, more importantly, VOTED with Democrats last session. While this political power was critical to the “successful” effort of pushing through Governor Gianforte’s property tax debacle, it undermined Art Wittich, the titular head of the MTGOP, and significantly eroded his political credibility with the base.
Here’s how Art Wittich was positioning himself politically after the 2025 legislative session concluded:
Wittich promised new strategies for how the MTGOP will do political business, including creating a “red policy committee” to research and review new legislative proposals. Another change he floated: establishing a “conservative governance committee” to vet candidates and hand out party endorsements — a stamp of approval that could be leveraged during Republican primary elections.
And here is how that same article (Montana Free Press) frames the “internecine fight” that is sure to dominate Montana’s next legislative session:
Wittich is no stranger to the internecine fights that have defined Montana’s Republican Party for much of the last decade. By some accounts, his name is woven into the origin story of the modern GOP’s feud between conservative centrists and hardliners. That tug-of-war over which sorts of Republicans get elected to the state Legislature has led to some wins for Wittich and his allies — and some bruising losses. In 2016, a state district court jury found Wittich guilty of violating campaign finance laws by illegally coordinating with third-party political groups during a primary election. The now-MTGOP chair was fined $68,232.58.
Throughout his convention speeches, Wittich offered thinly veiled criticisms of the so-called Conservative Solutions Caucus — the amorphous faction of Republican lawmakers spearheaded by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, that has for years backed hardliner-loathed policies including Medicaid expansion and education funding reforms.
In an attempt to regain control of the party it would appear that Art Wittich allowed AFP money to target conservatives in primaries across the state. To counter this influence, some of those candidates who were targeted chose to up their political game by hiring a “Montana” company called Fireweed. When the easy-to-find context of Fireweed’s Democrat ties broke on social media, the Republican rift became an abyss where loyalty rides and traitors die, figuratively speaking, of course.
Now, after yesterday’s scorched-earth move by the MTGOP to end the civil war, it will be interesting to see how these candidates respond:
In another Montana Free Press article about this scandal I caught the name of a behind-the-scenes promoter of this civil war and SURPRISE! It’s someone Zoom Chron readers should be familiar with–Burt Caldwell!
In a March 30 email sent to nearly 75 people and addressed to a Missoula-based group called the “League of Liberal Advocates,” a copy of which was obtained by MTFP, one donor explicitly laid out his personal rationale for donating to Republican candidates.
“Guess what I’m doing? I’m contributing to a slate of candidates the MT legislature needs. Guess what else? They’re Republican,” read the email from Burt Caldwell, a Missoula resident.
“In these races the final outcome will be a Republican,” the email continued. “The best chance for a reasonable Legislature is to elect moderate Republicans who work for their constituents, not ‘the party.’”
Isn’t this interesting? Lauren Caldwell’s daddy, Burt, is pushing a strategy of supporting moderate Republicans after Democrats utterly destroyed their brand in Montana, losing every significant political race the last few cycles. That’s why Burt Caldwell is emailing his pals and pushing a strategy that ALSO just so happens to help his daughter get paid.
The email listed a slate of specific Republican candidates running to represent House and Senate districts that span the state, from Plentywood to Hamilton to Belgrade.
Those candidates include Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad; Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls; Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda; Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson; Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton; Rep. Ken Walsh, R-Twin Bridges; Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade; and Rep. Curtis Cochran, R-St. Regis. Other candidates referenced in the email are Susan Geise, Russ Nelson, Chisholm Christensen, Doug Martens and Michele Binkley, who did not serve in the Legislature last year.
I’m glad Burt Caldwell is putting his thumb on the political scales because it validates my contention that the UNIPARTY in Montana is all about LAND and what happens on land with regards to houses, recreation, jobs, and private-sector development in different forms, like the one currently being targeted with politically-hyped FEAR in order to serve larger agendas–the evil DATA CENTER!
The “nasty-nine” gave Llew Jones power and Governor Gianforte a Franksenstein property tax bill suddenly thrown into limbo as tax checks are literally in-coming. For those with the stomach to watch this rancid sausage-making the spoiling of this legislation is quite astounding:
The Montana Republican Party on Thursday asked a state District Court to void the entirety of a transformative new property tax law enacted by state legislators and the Gianforte administration last year.
In a brief filed in an ongoing case in Gallatin County District Court, the Montana Republican State Central Committee sided with the plaintiffs — three current and former Republican legislators — and argued that “there are no surviving constitutional provisions to save” in the new law.
The property tax spikes that hit after Montana’s pandemic-era real estate boom put many Montana homeowners in a financial bind. When legislators gaveled in for the following legislative session in 2025, one of their top tasks was implementing property tax reform.
I’ll have more on this Uniparty land/housing, high-stakes play for Big Sky Country soon. Until then, here are two other posts on Fireweed that exemplifies the value a citizen journalist NOT named Nick Shirley should have if the information landscape wasn’t as Mockingbird-psyop’d as it obviously is with those capable of seeing it.
“The Challenge Of Spotting Political Chameleons In Montana” (March 30th, 2026)
“More Fireweed Fallout For Montana Republicans” (April 2nd, 2026)
Thanks for reading!
