Montana
Why is the GOP so Paranoid About Montana Voters?
Photograph Source: Tracey Elizabeth – CC BY 2.0
It’s truly a mystery right now watching the incredible efforts by Montana’s Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, to try and disqualify voters who signed citizen initiatives from being counted. Their twisted logic and faulty interpretation of the Montana Constitution reflects a deep paranoia on the part of the Republicans toward Montana’s citizens and voters.
The burning question is “what are they so afraid of?”
It doesn’t take a long memory to recall how the GOP went into Trump-fueled hysterics over election integrity in 2020, in which Republicans won every statewide office.
Other than mimicking Trump’s endless and baseless “stolen election” lies, one might wonder what they intended to find and why? What, were the Republicans going to say their own election victories were illegitimate and challenge the right of their own candidates to hold office? Were they going to call for endless recounts so maybe a hapless Democrat could win at least one statewide office?
Since none of that sounds even marginally reasonable, it appears the GOP simply doesn’t trust the good people of Montana — nor the hundreds of election workers who have and continue to dedicate themselves to free, open, and dang near error-free elections as they have for many years.
Were one to look at what’s going on now — and has gone on in the past — it seems pretty clear that the Republicans are trying their best to gut Montana’s constitutionally-guaranteed right to the citizen initiative process. And why might they being doing so? Because the GOP cannot exert the kind of absolute control over citizen initiatives that they can and do enforce in the legislative and executive branches.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Montana’s citizens have passed initiatives the legislature never would have let out of the first committee. Going way back to 1978, the good and sensible voters of Montana passed an initiative to mandate that citizens had the right to vote on the installation of nuclear power plants in our state. That was overturned on a GOP party-line vote in the 2021 legislative session, transferring the authority away from the citizens and to, of course, the legislature.
Then there was the citizens initiative to ban the use of cyanide heap leach gold mining Montanans approved in 1998, which still stands despite numerous efforts to overturn it. Does anyone believe the legislature would ever have passed a law to prohibit the mining industry from poisoning our waters with cyanide?
Or how about the citizens initiatives legalizing the use of both medicinal (2004) and recreational (2020) marijuana? The legislature would never have approved such laws and was sued for wading into the initiative’s language after the election to weaken and alter the provisions the citizens overwhelmingly approved.
Now, Jacobsen’s office is being sued — this time by proponents of three pending initiatives. CI-128 asks voters to approve a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion access, CI-126, which instills open primaries, and C1-127, which requires a candidate to receive over 50% of the vote to win. Ironically, the proponents of the election initiatives are Jacobsen’s fellow Republicans.
It’s a foundational truth that power never relinquishes power without a fight.
What’s strange is that Montana’s Republican Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Governor all seem to fear their almost unassailable hold on power is somehow being threatened by the very citizens they were elected to serve — not command, control, and intimidate for exercising their constitutional right to the initiative process.
Where Khloe Kardashian Stands With Ex French Montana More Than 10 Years After Breakup
French Montana is done keeping up with reality TV.
In fact, he only agreed to appear on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons over a decade ago as a favor to then-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.
“She said to get on the show,” he exclusively told E! News at the BET Awards on June 28. “And I got on the show. Shout out to Khloe.”
The “Ever Since U Left Me” rapper, who split with Kardashian in December 2014 after eight months of dating, said the experience was “fun” because her family kept it real.
“They filmed their real life,” he continued. “And we were part of something together that one time. So it felt great. It didn’t feel like work because they film what they do everyday.”
As for his future in reality TV, the 41-year-old said those days are over, shutting down any prospective offers with a simple, “Negative.”
Although the “Unforgettable” artist—whose real name is Karim Kharbouch—may not be returning to television anytime soon, he has no problem hanging out with his ex-girlfriend these days.
French Montana, Rick Ross & Max B Turn the BET Awards Into “
06/28/2026
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GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.
Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.
(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)
Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition
This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.
She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.
“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.
She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.
St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.
“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.
“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”
She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.
Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.
But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.
“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”
She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.
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