HELENA, Mont. (Legal Newsline) - Dennis Daneke, a U.S. Senate candidate in Montana known for urging voters not to select him, won't be on the general election ballot after all.
According to an Aug. 19 article in the Missoula Current, five Green Party candidates, including Daneke, will not appear on the state's general election ballot Nov. 3 as a result of a Montana Supreme Court ruling in the ongoing case of Montana Republicans allegedly financing the Green Party's presence on the U.S. Senate ballot in order to siphon votes from Democratic candidates.
For his participation, Daneke has drawn a formal complaint accusing him of "knowingly and deliberately failing to register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as a federal candidate."
The retired sustainable construction technology professor from Lolo had no intentions of being on the Montana Green Party ballot, but joined the race after prodding from Democrats who want to see Gov. Steve Bullock take a seat in the U.S. Senate.
“I confess that the only reason my name is on the ballot is because I was asked to run 20 minutes before the registration deadline because the Republicans had just put a Green Party candidate on the ballot in an effort to siphon votes away from Gov. Bullock,” Daneke told Big Sky Times. “We didn’t want her to run unopposed in the primary and get a walk to the general election. So I am running. I also believe it is a little rude to run as a Green Party candidate when you are not a member of the party.”
Daneke's statements were in reference to his Green Party opponent, Wendie Frederickson, who Big Sky Times reported to have been paid to be put on the ballot by the Montana Republican Party.
Daneke had issued this directive: “To all Montana voters: Please don’t vote for me... Don’t vote for my Green Party opponent either.”
Daneke's hasty joining on the Montana ballot, and repeated statements on record of there not being any reason for him to be on the ballot and that he will likely withdraw from the Senate race, has drawn criticism from James Gustafson, who filed a formal complaint with the Office of the General Counsel and the FEC.
In his complaint, Gustafson accused Daneke of hiding any contributions to his candidacy or campaign expenditures from the public.
"Notably, Mr. Daneke appears to be the only candidate for the U.S. Senate in Montana that has not notified the FEC that he is seeking federal office," Gustafson said in the complaint document. "Twelve other people, including another Green Party candidate, have filed the appropriate paperwork with the FEC. This leads one to question whether Mr. Daneke is truly a candidate for the U.S. Senate or if he is attempting to scam the Green Party voters in the June 2 primary."
The complaint is one escalation of many in a bizarre tug-of-war battle between state Republicans and Democrats to maintain influence over the Green Party.
Spenser Merwin, executive director for Montana's Republican Party, told the Missoula Current that although Democrats say they support the integrity of elections, the party spent “tens of thousands of dollars to suppress Green Party voices and limit Montanans’ choices this November, all so Gov. Bullock won’t have to face a Green Party candidate that will expose his administration’s corruption.”