A faction of Republican precinct leaders is seeking to oust local party leadership following what they view as a series of missteps and power grabs by Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chair Al Olszewski.

Several members said tensions within the Flathead Valley GOP have festered for months, creating a microcosm for the battle between hardline conservative and more moderate Republicans occurring at the state level.  

“[The counties], that’s where the mini Republican civil war is occurring,” said Bill Moseley, committeeman for Precinct 54, which includes areas north and west of Bigfork. 

The fight for control of the local Republican Party kicked off in the aftermath of Kalispell’s 2025 municipal elections. Although nonpartisan, the election saw Ryan Hunter defeat Kisa Davison, who received backing from prominent Flathead Valley Republicans, for mayor.  

The perceived upset renewed interest in the upcoming June elections for precinct captains, who vote on county central committees and help shape local politics. More than 60 new precinct captains were elected to the Flathead County Republican Central Committee, many of them filling positions that had sat vacant for years. 

Moseley described the incoming class of precinct captains as representative of a more moderate Republican ideology that has increasingly become the target of the state GOP. 

At the committee's June meeting, just days after Olzesweski lost the Republican primary for Montana’s western U.S. House district to Aaron Flint, several committee members said Olszewski refused to seat the newly elected precinct captains until they appeared before him and took a verbal oath of office. At the time, neither the state party or county committee bylaws required precinct captains to take an oath. 

Revisions made to the Montana Republican Party’s bylaws later that month introduced several new requirements for members, including the payment of annual dues and a signed affirmation of support to the party. Under the new bylaws, members can be kicked out of the party for participating in “conduct deemed inconsistent with party purposes.”  

Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee, Choteau County Republican Central Committee and a handful of individuals filed suit over the new state bylaws, alleging they amount to “fraudulent and corrupt practices.” Lewis and Clark County District Judge Michael McMahon issued a restraining order July 8 to block the implementation of the new bylaws until the case is settled. 

Olszewski nonetheless indicated that he would continue to follow the 2026 state bylaws at Flathead County Republican Central Committee's next meeting, which was scheduled to take place the next day and included a swearing-in ceremony for newly elected committee members. 

“I will plan to abide by the 2026 MTGOP bylaws,” wrote Olszewski in a July 8 email to committee members obtained by the Daily Inter Lake. “I will not enforce them.” 

Months of smoldering tensions flared to life July 9 in the basement of Sykes Diner when Olszewski insisted on discussing the restraining order before he officially called the meeting to order. Several committee members disputed Olszewski’s stance and urged the chair to proceed with the meeting under the former bylaws, arguing that to do otherwise would violate the temporary restraining order and put the committee at risk of legal action. 

At one point, Olszewski told Catherine Potter, the committeewoman for Precinct 34, to “shut up.”  

“The room just exploded,” said Potter. “I mean, people were absolutely livid.” 

“It was necessary to maintain the civility of the discussion,” said Olszewski of the interaction, which he said was preceded by several members speaking out of turn. 

Olszewski walked out soon afterward without officially calling the meeting to order. He told the Inter Lake the preliminary discussion convinced him “the risk of litigation was real” though he still maintained that the Flathead County Republican Central Committee fell outside the scope to of the restraining order. 

The committee secretary called the meeting, which Olszewski contends was illegitimate, to order in his absence. Travis Davison, committeeman for Precinct 27 and husband of Kisa Davison, gave a notice for the chair’s removal shortly thereafter. 

“The causes are failure to properly administer candidate vetting and endorsement procedures, failure to properly administer candidate funding procedures, seeking to involve this committee and the Montana GOP in violating a temporary restraining order and risking civil contempt, criminal contempt and additional sanctions to our entire state party and this body in particular,” said Davison.  

Per the Flathead County Republican Central Committee’s bylaws, a vote to remove Olszewski as chair will be held at the next general meeting. A three-quarters vote is required to remove any officer. 

“This was not an isolated incident,” wrote Tracie Smith Jensen, the committeewoman for Precinct 24, in a letter sent to the chair and subsequently shared with the Inter Lake. “Similar interactions have occurred during previous committee meetings, where female members have been addressed in a manner that many attendees perceived as dismissive or unnecessarily confrontational. The repetition of this conduct has created concern that the standards of courtesy and respect expected under Robert’s Rules of Order are not being applied consistently.” 

Olszewski’s two-year term as chair ends in December. He told the Inter Lake he will not seek reelection, regardless of the outcome of the impending vote.   

Olszewski said he did not tell precinct captains that they were required to take an oath of office. 

“I publicly stated I recognize all those elected,” he said. “There is no oath that has to be taken to be a county committeeperson in my mind.” 

“My goal is that I will faithfully perform my duty as chairman,” he added. “I’m going to follow the rules. I’m not going to be bullied into not using the most recent version of the bylaws.” 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.