Roger Koopman, president of the Montana Conservative Alliance and a veteran of both the state legislature and the Public Service Commission, is calling on Republican voters to pay close attention to Tuesday’s primary, arguing that roughly 20 incumbents wearing the GOP label do not govern as conservatives.
Who Is Koopman?
Koopman brings institutional credibility to the argument. He spent four years serving in the Montana House of Representatives and followed that with an eight-year tenure as a Montana Public Service Commissioner. That background gives weight to his contention that the Republican legislative caucus contains members whose voting records diverge substantially from conservative principles.
He refers to those members as “DIRCs” — Democrats in Republican clothing — and estimates that around 20 such incumbents are seeking reelection in Tuesday’s contests. He also uses the phrase “rogue elephants” to describe the group.
The Argument
“Your party is being stolen from you,” Koopman wrote in a piece published days before the June 2 primary. The warning is directed at rank-and-file Republican voters who, in his view, may be casting ballots for candidates who campaign as conservatives but govern differently once in Helena.
Koopman’s critique reflects a tension that has simmered inside Montana’s Republican Party for several legislative cycles. The GOP holds commanding majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, but that dominance has not always translated into unanimity on conservative priorities. Intra-party disagreements over spending, regulatory policy, and social issues have periodically fractured the caucus and drawn criticism from right-leaning advocacy groups.
“If we want to repair a broken legislature, then get informed and get to the polls on Tuesday,” Koopman wrote, framing the primary as a corrective opportunity rather than a foregone conclusion.
Primary Day Stakes
Tuesday’s primary carries significant weight beyond legislative races. Montana voters are also choosing nominees to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by Steve Daines and the congressional seat held by Ryan Zinke, making it one of the higher-stakes primary days the state has seen in recent memory. Down-ballot legislative primaries can easily be overshadowed by those marquee contests, which is precisely the dynamic Koopman appears to be pushing back against.
His call to action is aimed at conservative activists and engaged Republican base voters who follow legislative scorecards and advocacy group ratings — an audience more likely than casual voters to distinguish between incumbents on ideological grounds.
Broader Context
The Montana Conservative Alliance is one of several right-leaning organizations that track legislative voting records and issue candidate endorsements during primary season. Groups like it often play an outsized role in low-turnout primaries, where a relatively small number of motivated voters can determine the outcome of individual legislative races.
The tension Koopman describes is not unique to Montana. Across the country, conservative advocacy organizations have increasingly targeted Republican incumbents they view as insufficiently aligned with the base — a strategy that has reshaped legislative caucuses in several states. Montana’s political landscape has drawn national attention on multiple fronts, with debates over housing, public lands, and taxation putting the state in the spotlight heading into the 2026 cycle.
Whether Koopman’s effort moves the needle in any specific legislative district will depend largely on voter turnout and how well his organization has identified and communicated its targets to Republican primary voters. The results of Tuesday’s races will offer a clearer picture of where the Montana GOP’s center of gravity sits heading into the 2027 legislative session.
