Gianforte is highlighting legislative allies ahead of primaries. Just don’t call them endorsements.

Many of Montana’s most prominent Republican elected officials have been throwing their support behind candidates in the state’s legislative races, with a clear exception – Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte. 

And while Gianforte has officially endorsed candidates for federal office — Aaron Flint for the state’s western House district and Kurt Alme for the U.S. Senate — he has shied away from similar explicit endorsements in the state’ legislative primaries. 

But a scroll through the official social media pages of “Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte” shows supportive messages with legislative candidates who worked with the governor during the last Legislature, and have drawn the ire of the state Republican Party.  

During the last two weeks, Gianforte has posted videos with four sitting legislators who are in contested primary races — with opponents that have been endorsed by the Montana Republican Party — arguing that their teamwork has led to positive changes for Montanans, including reduced taxes. 

Gianforte called Rep. Eric Albus of Glasgow “a great partner in the Legislature” in a video posted May 11. 

“It meant a lot to my constituents here on the Hi-Line, because most of us here don’t, can’t afford to own two or three homes,” Albus says. “So your primary home, you got that exemption and get the tax rebate. It meant a lot to our constituency, and I hope they remember that.”

“We went together to work on this issue,” Gianforte adds. 

Albus is running for Senate District 14, and his opponent, Mark Wicks, has been endorsed by the state GOP. 

The governor is one of the most well-liked elected officials in the state, especially within his party. 

A Morning Consult poll last spring found Gianforte with a net approval rating (approval minus disapproval) of 22 points — the 21st most popular governor in the country.

And while a recent poll conducted by the Montana Free Press-Eagleton showed Gianforte with 47% disapproval among all Montanans, only one in 10 Republicans disapproved of his performance in office.

In 2024, Gianforte endorsed a slate of 58 legislative candidates ahead of the primary, leaving off some prominent names, including then-Speaker of the House Matt Regier, who became Senate president in 2025 and presided over a split Republican Party in the chamber. The decision to make primary endorsements — a departure from previous gubernatorial administrations — prompted backlash from some Republicans who said it amplified perceived divisions in the party. 

Asked about the decision not to explicitly endorse candidates, and the rollout of videos in recent weeks and whether they should be considered endorsements, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office said “the governor’s priority for this primary election is to encourage all Montanans to exercise their civic duty and vote.”

“Gov. Gianforte is proud to have delivered for Montanans in each of his past legislative sessions and looks forward to working with all members of the legislature next year to advance Montanans’ priorities for lower taxes, reduced red tape, and making Montana the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Spokesperson Kaitlin Timken wrote in an email to the Daily Montanan. 

The Montana Republican Party did not respond to emailed questions about the governor’s videos. 

The videos Gianforte’s team has posted all follow a similar script — focusing on tax relief passed in the last Legislature, and highlighting that the legislative candidates worked with the governor.  Some of the most prominent property tax legislation passed in 2025 is being challenged in court by other Republican legislators and the state party.

Gianforte said he “worked together” on lowering taxes with Rep. Valerie Moore of Plentywood, who is facing a state GOP-backed challenger in Linda Harmon. Moore reposted the video on her campaign page. 

“I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done together with Representative Walsh, protecting our small businesses and preserving our Montana way of life, particularly related to outdoor recreation,” Gianforte says in a May 13 video with Rep. Ken Walsh of Twin Bridges, facing a state GOP-backed challenger in Trevor Walter. 

Gianforte visited Twin Bridges on his 56 County Tour on April 15. 

In a phone call with the Daily Montanan, Walsh declined to call the video an endorsement, but said it was a “friendly conversation” that “speaks to my work as a legislator.”

“We were talking about the wins we had in the legislature working with the governor and the agencies,” Walsh said. Whether it’s the property taxes, the red-tape reduction, the business equipment taxes, and the big one to me is the income tax.”

During a stop on his Richland County tour in Sidney on May 6, Gianforte held a town-hall meeting with Ler, current speaker of the House.

In 2025, Ler carried the bill that lowered Montana’s top income tax bracket, a top priority of the Gianforte administration.  

And while Ler has picked up endorsements from groups including the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the NRA, and boasts a 100% rating from the conservative Montana Family Foundation, he is being challenged in the primary by Ric Holden, who is backed by the Montana GOP as well as former U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale. 

On May 19, Gianforte posted a video with Ler, who reposted it to his campaign page on Facebook the next day. 

“Working with the legislature and the leadership of Speaker Ler, in the last legislative session we’ve had the largest income tax reductions in state history,” Gianforte said. “I look forward to working with you in this upcoming session.”

In a statement to the Daily Montanan, Ler said he was grateful for Gianforte’s “kind words.” 

“I value the productive working relationship we’ve built,” Ler said. “I look forward to continuing these wins for Montana alongside Governor Gianforte next session.”

Montana’s primary Election Day is June 2.