Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices announced resignation

Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan announced that he would be stepping down from the position in a Twitter thread earlier this week.

Mangan had been appointed to the position in 2017 and his term was set to expire in January. He said on Twitter Monday that he would be leaving Nov. 7, the day before Election Day, to “return to the private sector.”

Personal news thread. This morning I contacted Governor Gianforte, President of the Senate Blasdel, and Speaker of the House Galt and tendered my resignation as Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, effective November 7th, 2022. I appreciate their graciousness.

— Jeff Mangan (@jmangan) October 3, 2022

The office of the COPP is nonpartisan and tasked with enforcing the state’s campaign finance laws, ethical standards for public officials and investigating complaints.

Gov. Greg Gianforte will select Mangan’s successor from a list of two to five names compiled by a four-member nomination committee from top leaders from the House and Senate.

As outlined in the Montana law, if the committee can’t agree on who to nominate, the governor can appoint anyone who meets the qualifications.

To qualify, candidates must not have served as a fundraiser for a candidate, served as an officer in a political party or political committee or managed a political campaign two years prior to being appointed, among other requirements.