Former two-term Montana Governor Marc Racicot has been ousted from the state's Republican Party.
It's a move the Montana GOP says was brought on by recent actions.
The Montana Republican Party has rebuked former Governor Mark Racicot, stating he "is not considered by the MTGOP to be a Republican, that he can not claim with any authority to speak on behalf of Montana Republicans, that he does not have the support of the Montana GOP."
"It just shows how far off the rails the current GOP Montana Republican Party has gone," said Gary Buchanan.
Buchanan ran as an independent for the U.S. House of Representatives in November, and was endorsed by Racicot.
"He went into his second term, with the highest popularity rating ever for a Republican," Buchanan said about Racicot. "He remains extremely popular. In Billings, when I visited and I campaigned when Mark Racicot endorsed me, they remembered him and they remembered him extremely positively."
Buchanan has worked under several governors, including Racicot.
"We didn't always agree, but we were agreeable and my support and friendship for him is almost 45 years old," Buchanan said.
The party's resolution also states the former governor "has taken active and aggressive action to undermine Montana GOP endorsed and supported candidates and oppose Republican candidates nominated by Republican voters in the primary in 2022."
The GOP raised concerns about Racicot's endorsement of Democrats Joe Biden for president in 2020, along with Monica Tranel for Congress and Ketanji Brown Jackson for the US Supreme Court in 2022.
No one from the executive committee wanted to do an interview, but the state GOP issued this statement:
"The Montana GOP executive board unanimously voted to rebuke former governor Racicot following his support of Democratic candidates over Republicans the last several election cycles."
Buchanan points to Racicot serving as a Republican governor from 1993 to 2001. And as chair of the Republican National Committee in 2002 and 2003.
"This GOP executive committee knows nothing about Montana history," said Buchanan.
MTN reached out to Racicot along with chairs and former chairs of state and county Republican party organizations, and have been unable to get interviews.
