Keenan talks politics in Havre

Hill County Democrats got a visit from Nancy Keenan, the Motnana Democratic Party's executive director. during their regular meeting at the Eagles Club Tuesday night, her second stop as she tours eastern Montana speaking with voters and Democratic activists.

She began her tour in Chester Monday. Glasgow and Glendive will be the next stops on her tour, before moving onto other towns and cities in the region.

Before meeting with Democrats, she sat down for a meeting with the editorial board of the Havre Daily News.

In her travels, Keenan said the failure of state lawmakers to pass an infrastructure improvement bill during the last legislative session has been a top issue of discussion with voters. Democrats, with a large number of Republicans, approved such a bill, but it was scuttled at the last minute when it fell one vote short of the super-majority required for passage.

"This should be something that is non-partisan," said Keenan. "This should be jobs for Montanans. This is your neighbor who goes to work. The guy who works construction or the woman who works at the community hospital."

After a bruising election season for Democrats in 2014, Keenan, who took over as leader of the state party, said she is excited for the upcoming elections. She is betting on the fact that it will be a presidential election year and that having Gov. Steve Bullock on the ballot will boost turnout especially among constituencies where Democrats have the strongest support.

All statewide offices, with the exception of a U.S Senate and House seat and the office of attorney general, are held by Democrats. The auditor, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

Montana' s federal lawmakers do not have term limits.

Former state legislator Jesse Laslovich is vying for Montana state auditor, a position held by Monica Lindeen, a Democrat who is running for Secretary of State. Melissa Ramano, a Helena math teacher, will likely be the party's candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, a post held by term-limited Denise Juneau.

The party does not yet have candidates to challenge Republicans state Attorney General Tim Fox and Rep. Ryan Zinke, who occupies the state's only seat in the House of Representatives. However, Keenan predicted that within the coming months, the party should have candidates for both.

In state legislative seats, Montana Democrats have not had nearly as much luck. In 2014, they lost or were unable to capture House seats in areas usually dominated by Democrats.

"We have some Democratic seats we lost last time that we shouldn't have lost."

But in 2016, when she says a presidential election and governor's race is likely to boost turnout among Democrats, she believes the party has a shot at making big gains. The seats held by State Reps. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre and Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, are top targets for Democrats.

But it is the governor's race that is commanding much of the attention of the party. Bullock, a popular first-term incumbent Democrat, will seek a second term. Greg Gianforte, a hi-tech billionaire businessman and funder of socially conservative causes, and former Secretary of State Brad Johnson are the only Republicans who have so-far expressed interest in running.

Democrats, though, are already treating Gianforte as the nominee, hitting him hard on his wealth as well as his socially and economically conservative stances on issues to paint him as out of the mainstream.

Keenan says Democrats are working to define Gianforte early, sending out a barrage of press releases highlighting his positions now, so they can define him before talk of the presidential primaries and general election as well as other races divert attention away from the governor's race.

"Part of it is to say this is who he is, and this is what he stands for," said Keenan.

Democrats also hope to preempt the deluge of money from outside groups financed by well-funded, often anonymous donors. Those donors, Keenan said, seek to use the anonymity provided to them by weakened campaign finance laws to demonize candidates and influence races.

"It's like a hit and run," she said. "They come in and spend millions. They can do the politics of the personal. Come in, destroy a person and then leave the state."

Keenan said a bill passed during the last legislative session that requires such political groups to disclose the names of their donors, will add greater transparency to what she said is an increasingly unruly process that lacks transparency.

Some have said, though, that new rules put in place by Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl under the act would be cumbersome to implement in time for the 2016 elections. Still, Keenan said the act goes a long way in telling Montanans who is funding outside groups. Montana voters she said have a strong distaste for outside money, going back to the early 20th century when wealthy copper barons literally bought their way into offices.

"Ultimately, we Montanans don't want our elections bought and we don't want dark money in this state," Keenan said.