MT-SEN: Montana shelves GOP proposal to alter US Senate primary
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) A proposed change to next years Montana U.S. Senate primary that could have hurt Democratic Sen. Jon Testers reelection chances is likely dead after a state legislative committee shelved the GOP-backed measure Wednesday.
Some Republican lawmakers urged on by a GOP lobbyist wanted to alter Montanas 2024 Senate primary so that only the top two candidates, no matter their party, would advance to the November election.
That would have effectively blocked out third-party candidates, who Republicans blamed for draining away potential GOP votes during past attempts to unseat Tester.
Control of the Senate will be in play during next years election and Testers seat is one of several that Democrats are defending in Republican-leaning states.
The races national importance fueled outrage over the bid to change the primary rules. Critics including Democratic lawmakers and representatives of the Libertarian party blasted it as a blatant attempt to rig the election.
https://apnews.com/article/2024-primary-senate-montana-republicans-tester-9e3f78ed84fb2fdc101d562ee7aca14b