The excitement was, as they say, palpable. More than 300 Republicans from all across Montana came to the state GOP’s Winter Kickoff, but the story wasn’t just in the numbers, it was in the enthusiasm of the gathering.
The highlights included prominent family members of Presidential candidates. Former Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee, Josh Romney, and Rand Paul were all present to make the case for Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Mitt Romney, and Congressman Ron Paul, respectively.
Attendees had ample opportunity to meet and take the measure of all of our statewide candidates, and an informative candidate forum hosted by the College Republicans was a key part of making that possible.
Yellowstone County’s own Taylor Brown — who is running for Senate District 22 — hosted the final evening’s banquet, with keynote speaker James Steele, chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal council giving a thoughtful and challenging address to the Montana Republican Party.
Chairman Erik Iverson’s engaging and inclusive leadership was apparent throughout. For those who missed the event, the KTVQ video helps capture the flavor of the weekend. (There are three video links to the right and a fourth one that can be found when you scroll to the bottom of the page.)
