The Montana Republican Party has selected Debbie Churchill as its new executive director, the organization announced on August 25. Churchill, a retired real estate planning attorney and fifth-generation Montanan from a ranching family south of Chinook, replaces Andrew Pierce, who held the position for approximately one year.

Churchill brings seven years of experience with the state party, having volunteered since 2019. She previously served as the organization’s first Grassroots Director and has been active with the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee.

Montana Republican Party Chairman Art Wittich characterized Churchill’s appointment as a strategic fit for the general election push. “Debbie has spent years building the MTGOP from the grassroots up, and she knows this party county by county,” Wittich told the Daily Montanan, noting her “leadership, organizational experience, and commitment to Montana Republicans” as reasons for the selection.

Churchill, a University of Montana law graduate, emphasized her focus on bolstering volunteer networks across the state. “This party isn’t built in Helena. It’s built in county central committee meetings and at kitchen tables from Chinook to Miles City. My job is to make sure every one of those Republican volunteers has what they need to win,” she said in a statement.

The timing of Churchill’s appointment places her at the helm as Montana Republicans gear up for the general election in November, when the state will determine its U.S. Senate seat, congressional races, and statewide offices. Her grassroots background reflects the party’s strategy of prioritizing organization at the county level, a traditional strength for Republican operations in rural states like Montana.