Following Montana Republicans’ dominance in the 2024 election, a group of GOP lawmakers kicked off the 2025 Legislature with an unexpected move: ceding power to Democrats. The minority took full advantage, remaking legislative committees and banding with a handful of moderate Republicans to thwart GOP leaders’ efforts to make Montana’s judicial system more partisan. Similar alliances bolstered Medicaid expansion, raised teacher pay and passed a state budget increase that includes investments in affordable housing and health care.
