Montana GOP Names Andrew Pierce as New Executive Director

HELENA — The Montana Republican Party has selected Andrew Pierce as its new executive director, filling the position left vacant when Tyler Newcombe departed for the State Auditor’s office earlier this month.

Pierce, a 2020 graduate of Hillsdale College with extensive academic and political experience, will begin his role on September 8, 2025, as the party enters the 2026 election cycle and prepares for the 2027 state legislative session.

“We’re thrilled to have Andrew directing our party at this critical time. Republicans have the support of more Montanans than ever, and we will harness that momentum to keep the victories coming,” MTGOP Chairman Art Wittich said in a Tuesday announcement.

Pierce brings both academic credentials and political experience to the role. Beyond his undergraduate degree from Hillsdale College, he is also an alumnus of Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School and the Hudson Institute Political Studies Program.

His professional background includes serving as an associate editor for the Churchill Project, a collaboration between Hillsdale College and the Martin Gilbert papers that promotes Winston Churchill’s record as a statesman. Pierce contributed to the project’s research and publications, including work on the award-winning multi-volume Official Biography of Winston Churchill completed in 2019.

Pierce also served as a research assistant to the college president at Hillsdale College, completed a communications internship for former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), and has written for Law & Liberty.

“I’m deeply honored to have been chosen by Chairman Wittich and the Executive Board to serve the Republican Party of the best state in the Union. I look forward to working with Republican officials and members to build on MTGOP’s success,” Pierce said.

The appointment comes after Newcombe stepped down in mid-August to join the office of Commissioner of Securities and Insurance and Montana State Auditor Jim Brown. Newcombe had served as executive director since January, overseeing the party’s activities during the 2025 legislative session and helping break fundraising records, according to the Montana GOP.

In his new role, Pierce will manage the party’s day-to-day operations, coordinate with elected officials, and oversee campaign activities as Republicans prepare for the 2026 election cycle.

Pierce outlined his vision for political parties in Montana, emphasizing their role in civic engagement and accountability.

“At their best, political parties serve both as local civic associations that amplify their communities’ concerns and as a statewide, unifying force that ensures voters get the policies they voted for. Parties act as the civic glue connecting citizens to their elected officials, empowering ordinary people to participate in self-government without needing to hold office,” Pierce said.

“Parties also reinforce a vital safeguard: accountability. If elected officials disregard the principles or platform mandated by voters, both the party and voters have means to hold them accountable,” Pierce added.

Under Pierce’s leadership, the Montana GOP aims to build on its recent electoral successes while navigating internal disputes that have divided the party. Montana has remained solidly Republican in recent election cycles, with the party controlling the governor’s office, both U.S. Senate seats, both U.S. House seats, and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.