The June 2 Republican primaries for Montana Senate will be the first since the Montana Republican Party censured a group of Republican senators for voting with Democrats during the 2025 legislative session.
At the start of Montana's 2025 state legislative session, nine Republican senators voted with the chamber's Democrats to change procedural rules for the session. KTVH's Jonathon Ambarian wrote, "It was only the start of what became a session-long storyline, as that group of nine went on to vote against GOP leadership on numerous procedural motions and some key legislation." The Montana Republican Party censured the nine senators in April 2025.
The Daily Montanan's Micah Drew wrote after the March 2026 filing deadline for this year's legislative elections, "The well-documented rift in the Republican party between moderate members, including the infamous 'Nasty Nine' senators who worked with a bipartisan coalition in 2025, will be on display this spring as more conservative candidates seek to oust moderates."
