The Montana Libertarian Party is speaking out about the outcome of its U.S. Senate primary after Tom Jandron lost to Kyle Austin, whom the party is calling a “phony candidate” who does not represent libertarian principles.
Unofficial results from the Montana Secretary of State’s office show Austin defeated Jandron 1,795 votes to 1,579, or roughly 53 percent to 47 percent, in Tuesday’s Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate. The outcome drew an immediate response from the state party, which had backed Jandron in the primary following its nominating convention in Helena earlier this year.
In a statement dated June 3, the Montana Libertarian Party said Jandron earned its endorsement after an extensive process that included meetings with both primary candidates, a town hall, a questionnaire and written evaluation, and further deliberation by party members and leadership. The party said delegates unanimously backed Jandron as the candidate who best reflected its principles.
By contrast, the party said its members had “serious concerns” about Austin, who it noted previously ran as a Republican during the 2024 election cycle. The Montana Libertarian Party said it found Austin lacked both a clear understanding of key Libertarian policy priorities and a “cohesive philosophical framework,” and accused him of running under the Libertarian label to take advantage of the party’s statewide ballot access.
The party also used the primary result to criticize Montana’s open primary system more generally. Montana does not register voters by party, and any eligible voter may participate in any single party’s primary. The state party contends that this leaves it unable to know whether voters participating in its primary share its principles or are acting in bad faith.
“Any registered voter — Democrat, Republican, or otherwise — can walk into a polling place, request a Libertarian ballot, and determine who carries the Libertarian banner in the general election, all without the party ever learning their identity,” the party stated.
The Montana Libertarian Party said the result reflects a larger problem for political parties and their ability to defend associational rights. It also expressed frustration that its continued statewide ballot access now depends on Austin’s candidacy because U.S. Senate is the only statewide race on the ballot this cycle.
The party lamented this is not the first time it has faced such a situation, pointing to the 2022 election cycle, when it was put in a position where it needed to publicly oppose Sam Rankin, the Libertarian nominee for Montana’s 2nd Congressional District. IPR was unable to find a previous statement of denunciation, though the party has previously referenced the situation.
“These episodes demonstrate a structural and constitutional flaw: despite maintaining ballot access, Montana Libertarians too often lack meaningful control over who carries the party label and speaks on their behalf,” the party stated. “This flaw has substantially burdened the political activity of the party, ruined the image of the party, undermined faith in the electoral process, and chilled the speech of members who would otherwise run for office as Libertarians.”
At its convention this year, the party said it adopted a platform amendment stating that political parties have the right to determine their own membership, endorsements, and procedures free from state interference, including mandated open primaries. However, it’s worth noting that such an amendment has no teeth under state law in which to enforce it.
The party is now considering “all options” to protect its candidate selection process and ensure future nominees reflect the views of Montana Libertarians.
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