Former Green wins Montana GOP primary for U.S. Senate

The Independent Political Report ^ | June 4th, 2008 | Austin Cassidy

[Clintonfatigued]

Bob Kelleher, a former Green who sued the Montana University System for excluding the Green and Libertarian candidates from a gubernatorial debate in 2004, scored an upset victory in the Montana GOP primary race for U.S. Senate. Kelleher, who still maintains his Green beliefs, will be the Republican nominee versus Democratic incumbent Max Baucus. The Montana Green Party does not currently have ballot access.

The theme of Kelleher’s campaign was “no more tax cuts until hunger, health, HRDC, and job needs are satisfied and social security, Medicare and Medicaid funds are secure.” Ballot Access News reports that Kelleher apparently raised less than $5,000, as he did not file FEC reports.

With his nearly 10,000-vote victory margin, Kelleher defeated the former Republican majority leader of the state house, and a wealthy businessman.

[Clintonfatigued]

In addition to being a former member of the Green Party, Kelleher wants to withdraw from Iraq and install a parilamentary form of government in the United States.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfJe8hQ8ha0

[DemforBush]

*scratches head*

This is one weird election year.

[GOP_Raider]

Kelleher wants to withdraw from Iraq and install a parilamentary form of government in the United States

And here we have the drawback to the GOP being the "big tent" party it's purportedly become.

[apillar]

Hey this is just the McCainification of the republican party. Republicans are now the big tent party, open to everybody no matter how bizzare and unrepublican their beliefs. Core beliefs and conservative principals are so old fashion after all.../s

[Clintonfatigued]

“This is one weird election year.”

As long as the results aren’t dangerous, I can live with that. And you’re right, nothing has happened the way I had expected it to.

[trumandogz]

Good to see the Republican Party making inroads in the People’s Republic of Montana.

[hellbender]

Let me guess: Baucus unopposed, and an open GOP primary? I can see Demonrats using this tactic all over. It worked to stick us with McCain.

[paudio]

So he is the person Montana’s Republicans want.

[trumandogz]

If we keep this up by 2010 the GOP will have a former Gay Porn Star as a Senate nominee in Wyoming.

That's right, I forgot about the Republican Senator from Idaho.

Okay, what about a Republican Senator from Arizona that runs from president and is against drilling in ANWR and will push for amnesty for illegal aliens...

Of, never mind!

[Recovering_Democrat]

WTF has happened to the party?

[trumandogz]

Baucus unopposed, and an open GOP primary? I can see Demonrats using this tactic all over.

It may be the Operation Chaos is a two way street.

[Clintonfatigued]

Based on your screen name, this isn’t the first time you’ve asked that.

; )

[Nervous Tick]

Hijacking, plain and simple.

The “stupid party”, which doesn’t really know what it believes in anymore (if anything), has been bested by a leftist and his accomplices who know how to work voters via low-cost channels.

Look for more of the same.

This is absolutely nothing to be proud of. As if greenboy will caucus with the (R)s anyway, should he be elected.

[EternalVigilance]

This guy is a perfect example of my current tagline.

[missmellyh]

Is this the “rebranding” of the party the GOP wants?

[fieldmarshaldj]

A senile RINO with anger management problems, an open border fetish, and a perpetual habit of kissing rodent ass "wins" the Presidential nomination (and I don't know anyone, save one FReeper, who voted for him). An AWOL worst-ever-seen Congressional leadership that wets their panties every time Nancy Pelosi bellows. Republicans fleeing their offices and others refusing to run. A far-left Green kook wins the GOP Senate nomination in a Republican state. Yup. We have now officially entered The Twilight Zone. We call this episode, "America, You're SO F*cked."

[fieldmarshaldj]

*ping*

No doubt you’ve heard.

[darkangel82]

So on other words, he’s a kook. He will match Jeffords for RINO-ness and party switching.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I'm thinking the Constitution Party should try to draft a candidate. With two left-wingers representing both parties for the general, Conservatives need a choice.

Of course, that could apply to not just this Montana race.

[popdonnelly]

He lost.

[eldoradude]

RINOs now in green...

[Clintonfatigued]

This is just beyond weird.

[neverdem]

It’s always darkest...whatever

I could see if this guy was some kind of libertarian, but he’s not from how I see it.

The GOP is losing it, and I just joined last October.

[eldoradude]

This is just beyond weird.

Way beyond. Mind-boggling even to realize that so many "Republicans" in Montana are so ignorant as to be unable to discern that the Green Party is to the left of the democratic party, and vote for Kelleher.

[Impy]

Watch Baucus have a stroke and pass away now leaving a tasty open seat with no GOP candidate.

Now I know how the IL rats felt when Larooshies were nominated on their ballot lines.

I wish I could say this is a surprise. But it's just the latest clusterf*** from our completely incompetent party "leaders". And the ill-informed primary electorate probably voted against the establishment candidate for a guy they knew nothing about, always a great idea.

Maybe these links offer a solution but probably not.

[Clintonfatigued]

“Mind-boggling even to realize that so many “Republicans” in Montana are so ignorant as to be unable to discern that the Green Party is to the left of the democratic party”

Republicans didn’t have a viable candidate, so the primary got virtually no press.

[Theodore R.]

I heard about this primary, showing once again how bizarre MT is becoming. I don’t think the Repubicans were planning to run against that Democrat senator anyway. VT Republicans ran a candidate like this against Leahy about ten years ago. MT nearly always favors Democrats for U.S. senator and governor, and I don’t think we can convince them otherwise.

[SunkenCiv]

The theme of Kelleher's campaign was "no more tax cuts until hunger, health, HRDC, and job needs are satisfied and social security, Medicare and Medicaid funds are secure." Ballot Access News reports that Kelleher apparently raised less than $5,000, as he did not file FEC reports.

The theme of the Demwit opponent will be "no more Kelleher"... ;') *This* guy is an actual RINO. ;') Thanks neverdem.

[Nuc1]

FReeper friend, it is dangerous and there is nothing we can do about it. There are too few of us.

[Nuc1]

The GOP is losing it, and I just joined last October.

It hasn't always been so. I bet if the party closed the open primaries in the states they exist things would be very different.

[neverdem]

I bet if the party closed the open primaries in the states they exist things would be very different.

I would tend to agree, but experience has proved the opposite can still be true. NY has had closed primaries for ages. I was a member of the NY Conservative Party. NY is infamous for its RINOs. I changed registration to vote for Thompson who dropped out before its primary. I had to change registration at least 25 days before the last general election in November 2007.