Hopeful Havre Republicans open election headquarters

Hi-Line Republicans gathered Thursday night to open their political headquarters on 1st Street, eat hamburgers and talk politics.

The large crowd was bustling with enthusiasm and an air of optimism, with party leaders predicting they have a shot at virtually every office from president to Hill County commissioner.

While Republicans still have an uphill fight on the Hi-Line, Blaine County GOP Chair Richard Cronk said he thought this would be a Republican year, based in part on the GOP sweep in 2010.

"The old-line railroad people would vote straight Democrat all the time," he said. "The younger ones are more independent. They vote for the person."

Eventually, the party will have a full-time staffer working on local campaigns. Hill County Republican Chair Andrew Brekke said the campaign of U. S. Rep. Dennis Rehberg, who is challenging Sen. Jon Tester in a closely watched race, will have a strong presence in Havre.

Rehberg's regional director, based in Great Falls, will be in Havre one or two days a week, he said.

He urged party loyalists to volunteer to staff a phone bank that will call voters in Rehberg's behalf.

State Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, said recent developments in social issues have energized conservative voters.

She noted the controversy on a bill banning abortions for reasons of gender-selection and a federal appeals court ruling Thursday declaring that the Defense of Marriage Act — which asserts that that marriage is between a man and a woman — was unconstitutional.

Warburton noted that Montana voters had approved a constitutional amendment barring gay marriage in the state, and said people are concerned that their voice might be overturned by federal courts.

She said her party will push for more economic reforms to provide jobs, including further changes to the Workers' Compensation program. She said she was optimistic that a Republican governor would be more supportive of the Legislature's efforts than outgoing Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who vetoed a record number of bills.

The crowd cheered when Hill County Commission candidate Debi Rhines spoke.

Afterward, party loyalists said they were hopeful about that race. She will face the winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary between Mark Peterson and Deborah Walker.

If Rhines wins that election, that would mark the first time in memory that Democrats didn't control the commission.

"Anything could happen," Havre City Councilman Rick Dow said with a knowing smile.

The winner of the Nov. 6 election will join Democrat Mike Wendland and Jeff LaVoi, who was elected as an independent but attended Thursday's GOP rally and carried a Rhines yard sign home under his arm.