Not all candidates on ballot serious about winning

Montana Democrats, who haven’t captured a majority in both houses of the Legislature in more than a decade, have increased efforts in recent years to grow the list of blue names on statewide election ballots. Campaign leaders have said while some of those names represent hollow candidates, it’s a step toward amplifying the minority party’s voice.

With less than a month before Election Day, at least two House district candidates in Northwest Montana have admitted their names are simply a line on the ballot.

“The party actually begged me to run,” said Lisa Morrow, Democratic candidate for House District 6. “I don’t expect to win. This is a Republican county — and I’m honestly not a qualified candidate. But the party told me, “That’s OK, you won’t win anyway.’”

Morrow ran unopposed in the primary and won the nomination with 728 votes from the district that stretches west of Kalispell and along Whitefish Lake.

After House District 4 candidate Deborah Gentry won the Democratic nomination with 565 votes from the Badrock area, she announced in a Facebook post Aug. 1 that she has left the party due to Hillary Clinton winning the presidential nomination.

According to Gentry’s post, “The Democrats couldn’t find anyone to run for the seat, so they called me and asked me four times … Suffice it to say I was a very reluctant politician. Now I’m so ashamed of this party that I have left and re-registered.”

Gentry did not respond to requests for an interview. Though her name remains on the ballot, neither the Flathead County Election Department nor the Secretary of State’s Office could confirm whether Gentry had left the party she was nominated for.

Despite these examples, the director of the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Amanda Frickle said the more than 1,800 votes that went to these candidates weren’t wasted.

“When only a Republican is on a ticket, those voters either don’t get to vote, or have to vote for someone who doesn’t reflect their values,” Frickle said. “Even if it’s just a name on the ballot, that choice is important. Especially in a largely Republican area where it can be hard to be a Democrat. You can feel alone until you see that name.”

AT THE CLOSE of candidate filing in Montana for 2016 elections, Democrats had a candidate filed for every seat but one. In comparison, the Republican Party left 17 seats unfilled, according to information from the Montana Secretary of State.

The recent Democratic showing followed a historic full slate of Democratic candidates in the 2014 election. That year the Democratic campaign committee transitioned from operating only during election seasons to year-round.

Frickle said since that change, the party has seen more names on ballots than they have in decades.

“There’s been some criticism. Some people say it’s a waste of time. Some folks say, ‘I don’t want to be a sacrificial lamb.’ And that’s understandable,” Frickle said.

She said the committee often finds potential candidates through other Democrats. If they don’t have any leads, they start reviewing petitions with a left lean — such as finding names on a petition involving conservation.

She said it’s hard to know how many names on the ballot are a result of the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee or how many of those names are active candidates.

“We made hundreds of hundreds of calls to the Flathead alone,” Frickle said.

She said there’s no limit to how many times a prospective candidate is called before the committee moves on to a new possibility. There’s also no requirement to how involved that candidate needs to be in the campaign.

“Not everyone can or wants to participate, and some candidates decided early on they’re fine putting a name on the ballot and that’s the extent of it,” she said. “That’s something we respect and don’t expect to ever fully go away.”

LEE BANVILLE, a political writer and professor for the University of Montana School of Journalism, said it’s not unique to have parties stretch to fill seats for local elections. He said it’s part of a long process to develop viable candidates within a community.

“Same goes for Republicans in Missoula, where there are Republicans but they’re extremely outnumbered,” Banville said. “What’s surprising is to hear people actually say they’re running just to run — that kind of eliminates the benefit of having that ballot.”

Flathead Democratic Party Chair Lynn Stanley said when the Helena-based committee increased calls to prospective candidates to fill empty slots, it brought a new crowd of candidates to local elections that party members weren’t familiar with — making elections a little less predictable.

“There’s split feelings on it,” Stanley said. “I’m torn too. I think it’s worth making the effort as long as the candidates you find are willing to figure out a level of participation, even when it seems impossible to win, and less so if people don’t commit to it.”

Stanley is currently running for House District 7 in Kalispell. In 2014, she faced Steve Lavin for House District 8, also in Kalispell, and secured less than 30 percent of the vote.

As a Democrat in the Flathead, Stanley said she’s learned to view races as stepping stones. She said by knocking on doors, sharing her beliefs and Democratic Party concerns, she may come into contact with people who recognize they have more in common with Democrats than they expected.

“If we don’t get out there, Democrats become the boogeyman in counties like ours,” Stanley said. “It’s worth running even when it’s lopsided, because we’re reaching out to the 30 to 35 percent of Democrats who live here, and to those people who may not understand what it means to be a Democrat.”

Frickle said dark horse candidates also ensure a Republican doesn’t have a guaranteed spot in the Legislature. She said that competition increases a candidate’s responsibility to understand the concerns of their constituents.

Democratic votes in lost elections also give shape to the landscape of the party across the state, revealing where pockets of Democrats are growing or shrinking, Frickle said.

“We want a local representative for everyone, and the more people are involved, the more those voices may be starting to change the landscape by what they’re doing,” she said. “At the end of the day, landscapes change, minds change and districts change.”