Republicans celebrate victories

Republicans from Hill and Blaine counties gathered at the Duck Inn Sunday night to celebrate their victories in the November elections.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox were on hand to point out the party's achievements at the local, state and national levels.

"Nobody saw this coming," said Daines, speaking of the GOP's Hi-Line landslide that saw the party prevail in traditionally Democratic strongholds such as Havre and Rocky Boy in the 2014 elections..

"Well, Andrew saw it," he said, he said, turning to Hill County GOP Chair Andrew Brekke. Daines said Brekke predicted to him that state Reps. Bruce Meyers and Stephanie Hess would win despite Democratic enrollment edges in their districts.

Daines thanked the party faithful for helping him carry Hill County with 53 percent of the vote. Republican statewide candidates rarely carry Hill County.

"We almost carried Blaine County," he said. Democrat Amanda Curtis only won by 12 votes, he said.

Looking to 2016

With the politics out of the way, Daines and Fox spoke of the work yet to be done.

Daines said the party has made a big change already. Since Mitch McConnell has assumed the majority leader position, he said, the U.S. Senate has been far more open. There have been more votes and senators have been permitted to submit amendments to bills.

After waiting for years, the Senate has passed Keystone Pipeline legislation, he said.

Still, he said, the culture of the nation's capital has got to change.

"Before being elected, I was in business for 28 years," he said. When he was elected to the House two years ago, he said, "this was the first time I got a job when you are paid for activity and not results."

He reiterated his call for legislation that would withhold pay from lawmakers if Congress does not pass a budget.

President Barack Obama has had repeated failures in the White House, he said.

Obama, he said, has "pulled the rug out from under Montana's coal industry," Daines charged, and his failure to fight terrorism will have long-range implications.

"He won't even say the words 'Islamic terrorist,'" Daines said.

But just as Jimmy Carter's failed presidency led to Ronald Reagan's election, he predicted Obama's failures would result in a Republican victory in 2016.

The list of potential GOP hopefuls is amazing, he said,

On the other hand, if Hillary Clinton decides not to run - an unlikely occurrence, he admitted - the Democrats have no candidates on the bench to take her place.

Fox to run for re-election

Fox drew cheers from the crowd when he said he had filed papers to run for re-election in 2016. He had been mentioned as a potential candidate to challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.

One of his roles as attorney general is to join other Republican attorneys general - there are a record 37 - in fighting Obama's "overreach" on issues such as the environment and health care.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed by the attorneys general against Obama, he said.

He urged support for local lawmakers who are fighting Bullock's expansion of the Affordable Care Act, which he called Obamacare.

"People should know this is not a free ride," he said.

"It holds the potential for a major burden on the people of Montana," he said.

Cheers for St. Marks

During the evening, Brekke, who chaired the event, introduced party leaders and volunteers who have helped throughout the year. Each time they were greeted with applause.

But the crowd rose to its feet and applauded when Brekke introduced Chippewa Cree tribal chair Ken Blatt St. Marks, who was seated at Daines' table.

"Mr. St. Marks has won elections a number of times ... ," Brekke said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

St. Marks has been elected three times only to be removed by the tribal council. He says that is because he is working with federal prosecutors in uncovering a corruption ring based at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

"As Republicans, we believe in personal responsibility," he said, praising St. Marks.