![]() ![]() She was also facing a potentially unpleasant welcome back in Helena. When she signed the withdrawal letter, she said, she was recovering from health challenges and struggling to figure out how to manage both her legislative responsibilities and her ongoing education at Montana State University. The blown deadline coincided with a renewed interest from Stromswold in running for re-election. “Obviously it didn’t, and yeah, here we are.” “We interviewed a few people that were interested if that had come to fruition,” Stark said. Walker said he organized support and fundraised for Stromswold when it became apparent she would run the race. He heard the next day that the party had decided to go with Schomer, but by then, it was too late to replace Stromswold. Walker did so and interviewed with a selection of central committee members and Yellowstone County Republican lawmakers, he said. Walker said county party officials conducted telephone interviews with the candidates in the week before the deadline, but that the audio quality was bad and finalists were asked to interview in person the following week. Schomer, who could not be reached for comment, was the eventual pick. ![]() who had just lost a primary in a neighboring district, and Edward Walker, a former state lawmaker previously connected to the controversial dark money group Montana Growth Network. The party had already gone ahead with interviewing possible replacements, including Curtis Schomer, a unionized worker at the Sibanye-Stillwater Mining Co. “We didn’t read the fine print, that it needed to be at the SOS by that date.” “There was some miscommunication,” said Tim Stark, the Yellowstone County party chair. ![]() Read Stromswold’s withdrawal letter Download “People can do what they want with this information, but I’m here to serve,” Stromswold said in an interview this week with Montana Free Press. That story hasn’t quieted confusion over why and how things changed so quickly for her. Stromswold said she attempted to withdraw primarily for personal reasons related to her physical health and education, but has since resolved to return to the Legislature. Questions about Stromswold’s status and the exact reasons for her attempted withdrawal have swirled around the Capitol since lawmakers met for pre-session caucus meetings last week, especially given Stromswold’s occasional stances in opposition to her party in the 2021 session. How she arrived at this point, despite volunteering to end her candidacy three months before the election, offers a window into both the difficulties of elected office as a twentysomething and internal friction within the state GOP. Mallerie Stromswold, R-Billings, will serve in the 2023 session despite attempting to withdraw her candidacy during her re-election bid. ![]()
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