Montana politics: Green Party in, Senate candidate out, GOP files ethics complaint

There was a flurry of activity on Montana's political scene Friday, with the Green Party qualifying for the ballot, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate dropping out on the presumption of Gov. Steve Bullock's last-minute entry, and the state's Republican Party filing an official ethics complaint against the governor — one quickly termed "frivolous" by Bullock's spokeswoman.

All of this comes in advance of Monday's 5 p.m. filing deadline for candidates in a year that will see nearly every major statewide office on the ballot.

Green Party

The Montana Secretary of State's Office announced mid-afternoon Friday that more than 11,000 signatures in Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Silver Bow and Yellowstone counties were submitted to qualify the Green Party for the 2020 ballot, with more than 5,000 accepted — a number that exceeds the required minimum number of 5% of voters in at least 34 legislative districts.

A day earlier, Eric Fulton of Whitefish filed to run in the U.S. Senate race and is the only Libertarian to file as of Friday, according to data from the Montana Secretary of State website. Fulton's LinkedIn profile lists him as board chairman of Treasure State Internet and Telegraph. In 2014, Fulton was chair of the Gallatin County Young Republicans; the Bozeman Daily Chronicle noted he ran for a state House seat the same year as a Republican. State records note a Democrat represented the district in 2015.

Read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-politics-green-party-in-senate-candidate-out-gop-files/article_47ba6e66-2d89-5b70-83ba-66d350540666.html