HELENA — In the latest sign of an ongoing rift within the Montana Republican Party, three state senators are now suing the party, after they were kicked out of the state GOP convention in June.

(Watch the video for more on what led up to the lawmakers' lawsuit.) Three state senators sue Montana GOP over removal from party convention

Sens. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton; Denley Loge, R-St. Regis; and Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, filed suit this week in state district court in Lewis and Clark County. They argued their exclusion from the convention violated party rules and their rights as lawmakers.

The three senators were part of the group commonly called “The Nine” : nine Republican senators who repeatedly broke with their party leadership during the Montana Legislature’s 2025 session.

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