Montana Freedom Caucus Wins National Award for Leading Fight Against RINOs

HELENA, MT — The Montana Freedom Caucus received national recognition this weekend for its sustained campaign against nine Republican state senators, winning the “Best Out of Session Fight” award at the State Freedom Caucus Foundation’s annual summit in Dallas, according to Montana Sentinel.

The award specifically recognizes the Montana group’s post-session campaign that successfully stripped nine Republican state senators of their voting rights at the party’s June convention, following the senators’ decision to align with Democrats during the 2025 legislative session.

National Conservative Network Recognition

The State Freedom Caucus Foundation, founded in 2021 as a project of the Conservative Partnership Institute, operates as an unofficial extension of the Congressional House Freedom Caucus with member caucuses in 13 states. The organization provides conservative legislators with resources including staffing, communications strategy and tactical support.

The three-day Dallas summit brought together over 200 Freedom Caucus legislators from across the nation, featuring speakers including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and current and former House Freedom Caucus members. Montana was also nominated for three additional awards: Best Communications, Best State Caucus, and Best State Director.

Campaign That Earned National Attention

While the dispute began when the nine senators voted with Democrats during the legislative session to create what the Freedom Caucus called a “working majority” that, according to the group, killed long-term property tax solutions and increased the state budget by 18 percent, the award specifically recognizes the Freedom Caucus’s post-session strategy.

After the legislative session ended in April, the Freedom Caucus maintained pressure by leading a successful campaign to strip the nine senators of their voting rights at the June state convention. The “overwhelming majority” of convention delegates agreed to remove the senators’ voting rights, according to summit materials.

The convention saw Art Wittich elected as Montana GOP chair with 140 out of 235 votes, defeating Stacy Zinn who received 94 votes.

This post-session convention fight earned the national “Best Out of Session Fight” recognition, demonstrating how the Montana Freedom Caucus kept up political pressure even after the legislature adjourned. The state GOP now faces a lawsuit from three of the senators — Jason Ellsworth, Denley Loge, and Shelley Vance — challenging the voting restrictions.

Validation of Confrontational Strategy

The national award represents validation for the Montana Freedom Caucus’s confrontational approach to internal party disputes, with Executive Director Darin Gaub saying the recognition demonstrates how Montana conservatives are leading a national movement.

“The different actions the Montana Freedom Caucus pursues to hold the ‘Nasty-9’ and ‘Llew and His Dirty Dozen’ accountable are one example of how the thirteen State Freedom Caucus member states are unapologetically calling out elected representatives who fail to uphold their oath of office,” Gaub said.

The Montana strategy has drawn national attention from other conservative state legislators. “After caucus members from other states became aware of what happened in Montana, I had other states come to me asking to have remote meetings with me to discuss the entire process and see how they could replicate in their states what we did here,” Gaub said.

Growing Conservative Influence

Gaub sees the award as evidence of growing grassroots conservative power within the Republican Party.

“Nationwide, voters are looking for courage and conviction from those they elect to represent them,” he said. “The two hundred-plus state legislators who are members of their state Freedom Caucuses are demonstrating to voters across the nation that people are willing to fight and stand up for them.”

The recognition comes as similar conservative caucuses operate in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming, with the network adding new states annually. Gaub noted that “each election cycle the Caucus membership grows and previous members win by greater margins.”

Looking Forward

The award signals growing influence for Montana’s conservative wing within both state and national Republican politics. The State Freedom Caucus Network’s mission to help conservatives “win and wield control of state governments” aligns with the Montana group’s ongoing efforts to reshape the state GOP.

The nine censured senators—who include former Senate President Jason Ellsworth—now face primary challenges from conservative groups like the Montana Chapter of the RINO Removal Project, which has made unseating the legislators a central mission.