Whitefish businessman Don Kaltschmidt was been elected as chairman of the Montana Republican Party, the Montana GOP announced Monday morning.

Kaltschmidt is the owner of a car dealership in Whitefish. He was elected at the Montana GOP state officer’s convention over the weekend in Helena. State Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway was elected as vice chairman.

“All my life, I’ve been supporting the conservative cause in Montana - and I’m looking forward to continuing to advance our cause as your next Chairman,” Kaltschmidt stated in a media release.

“With seven out of eight federal and statewide offices on the ballot next year, we have one goal to achieve: win every single one of our races. We’ll take the time to invest, recruit, and build a winning team so we’re ready to hit the ground running and win next November. By working together, we will grow conservative leadership across Montana from the local, state, and federal level, protect our Montana way of life, and defend liberty and freedom for all Montanans.”

Kaltschmidt replaces outgoing chairman Debra Lamm.

“I appreciate her service and dedication to the Party over the last two years, and the great work she’s done to advance the conservative movement here in Montana,” Kaltschmidt added.

Kaltschmidt is a U.S. marine, lifelong Republican and a lifetime member of the NRA. He has served as finance chair of the Flathead County Republican Central Committee (2016-present) and was a Montana Delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Kaltschmidt never has held public office. In 2016 he was defeated by Keith Regier in the Montana State Senate District 3 Republican primary.

He is a member of the Montana Auto Dealers Association (1990-present) and served as director (2006-2013) and president (2009-2012). He’s also a member of the National Auto Dealers Association (1990-present) and served as a National Board member for Montana (2015-present).