Eight Republican state legislators who sought another term were turned away by Montana primary voters on June 2, ending their careers in the statehouse before the next legislative session begins. The results reflected sharp internal divisions inside the state Republican Party, with six of the eight losers being moderate incumbents targeted by conservative organizers — and two members of the Montana Freedom Caucus also defeated.
Senate Seats Change Hands
The most decisive result of primary night came in the Senate race where Rep. Caleb Hinkle unseated Sen. Shelley Vance by roughly 48 percentage points. Vance had been among a group of nine Republican senators who broke with their party’s leadership on significant votes during the 2025 session, drawing intense opposition from the state GOP’s right flank.
Hinkle arrives with three sessions of House experience and a conservative record that included 2025 legislation on immigration detention and commission appointment procedures. He will carry the Republican banner into the November general election.
Senate Majority Whip Barry Usher of Billings was also shown the door, losing to Chris Rindal by around 8 percentage points. Usher offered a measured response to the outcome. “Obviously, it’s not the outcome I wanted, but the people have spoken,” he told supporters. “God’s got a plan, he just hasn’t told me what that plan is.”
House Incumbents Ousted Across the State
Six House members were defeated, with many of the losing margins substantial enough to suggest something beyond close, competitive races. Rep. Lyn Bennett dropped a Flathead Valley contest to Shaun Pandina by close to 40 points, a margin that ranked among the biggest of the night.
Rep. Curtis Cochran fell to Jeff Stanek by 24 points, and Rep. John Fitzpatrick was defeated by Trish Shreiber by 21 points. Rep. Linda Reksten’s loss stood out for a different reason: her opponent, Finley Warden, is just 20 years old.
Rep. Ken Walsh, a six-year incumbent, found himself in a tighter but still losing contest against Trevor Walter, who carried roughly a 6-point advantage as Thursday morning results came in. Walsh was pointed about the advertising campaign used against him. “When you advertise that Ken Walsh is a radical liberal that supports sexually explicit material for kids and is woke and supports procedures for transgender minors, and you hear that 15 times on the radio, mailers or the internet, it can sink in; but I mean, really?” he said.
Rep. Nelly Nicol, a Montana Freedom Caucus member, lost House District 53 to Troy Charbonneau by 13 points. Nicol and Walsh represent the two Freedom Caucus incumbents whose primary bids fell short on June 2.
Other Notable Departures
Sen. Wendy McKamey was not on the ballot, having stepped aside earlier for health reasons. George Nikkolokakos, who entered the race to fill her spot, won the primary in her district. Sen. Jason Ellsworth, seeking a House seat in a different area of the state, also failed to advance.
What Comes Next
All eight primary winners move on to the November 3 general election. Given the Republican lean of most of the affected districts, several are expected to be well-positioned in the fall. Those who prevail in November would be sworn in as part of the 2027 legislative session.
Taken together, Tuesday’s results offer a snapshot of where Montana’s Republican Party stands heading into the fall campaign season. Conservative activists have spent recent cycles working methodically to challenge incumbents they view as too willing to cross the party’s leadership, and the breadth of this primary’s defeats suggests those efforts carried significant weight with Republican voters on June 2.
