Montana State House’s Leadership Will Not Commit to Passing ‘Top-Two Primary’ Bill

The Republican majority’s leadership in Montana’s House of Representatives will not say if they will commit to passing the Republican-led and state Senate-passed legislation that would make their state’s U.S. Senate election have a “top-two primary” system for the next election cycle.

As Breitbart News reported this month, Montana legislators are considering a piece of legislation, Senate Bill 566, that would create a “top two system” in the primary — also known as the “jungle primary” — for the next U.S. Senate race since it sunsets in 2025, one year after the next election.

It would have significant ramifications in the next U.S. Senate election between Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the incumbent running for reelection, and whoever the Republican candidate or candidates may be. The bill would put all candidates in the same primary race regardless of the party, and only the top two would advance to the November general election, even if they are in the same party.

And it would essentially box out the Libertarian candidate from the general election, which has helped Tester get elected in the past. As Montana Public Radio explained. In the last two elections, Tester faced a Republican and Libertarian candidate in the general election and won without getting a majority vote, only a plurality.

The legislation already passed the state Senate on a 27 to 23 margin and went to the state House, which Republicans also dominate.

However, during a House State Administration Committee meeting last week, state Rep. Gregory Frazer (R) moved to table the bill and was successful after being joined by all but one of the 12 other Republicans and six Democrats on the panel. Still, the Associated Press noted the bill could be brought back by the end of the session.

Breitbart News reached out to Montana Speaker of the House Matt Regier (R), Speaker Pro Tempore Rhonda Knudsen (R), and Majority Leader Sue Vinton (R) to see if they are committed to pushing the bill through the lower chamber. None of them responded.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.