A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

10 December 2015

Former Republican legislator Jerry O’Neil files C-1 for House District 4

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Former Republican legislator Jerry O’Neil, defeated for HD-3 (map) by Democrat Zac Perry in 2014, wants back in Montana’s house of representatives. Taylor Rose is running for the Republican nomination for HD-3, so the day after Thanksgiving O’Neil filed a C-1 statement of candidacy for HD-4 (map), an open seat vacated by Rep. Keith Regier because of term limits. Regier is running for the Montana senate in SD-3 (map), an open seat vacated by Sen. Bruce Tutvedt (R-Kalispell) because of term limits.

Now in his early seventies, O’Neil served in the Montana senate in the 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 sessions, and in the Montana house in 2011 and 2013. Known as a staunch libertarian with a flair for sometimes wacky publicity, he was not a legislative leader — a point hammered home by Perry in 2014 — but became known for requesting attention-getting legislation such as a bill requiring legislators to be paid in silver and gold, and a bill giving some convicted criminals the choice of rotting in the slammer or being flogged (a measure that earned him the sobriquet “Floggin’ Jerry”).

Few Flathead legislative districts are as conservative as HD-4. And few conservative Flathead politicians are as well known as Jerry O’Neil. His “I won’t let the government mess with you” rhetoric and his willingness to show up for almost any event sit well with conservative rural voters who want to send a message to Helena. If his political skills are intact, and he’s sufficiently hungry and vigorous, I think he can survive a primary challenge and win the general election in 2016.