Sinrud, Koopman will not seek reelection

By Daniel Person Chronicle Staff Writer

Two high-ranking Gallatin County Republicans in the state Legislature will not be seeking re-election this year.

State Rep. John Sinrud, R-Bozeman, withdrew his candidacy Thursday, citing family needs.

And state Rep. Roger Koopman, R-Bozeman, did not file to run in House District 69, as he said he would in January.

Thursday was the filing deadline to seek election to a state legislative office. The party primaries are June 3. The general election is Nov. 4. Statewide, 302 candidates filed. That’s a drop from 2006’s 307 filings. At least five candidates running for office in Gallatin County filed Thursday.

Speaker of the House Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, filed for re-election Feb. 5. He is being challenged by another Republican, Debra Ann Brown of Winston.

On Thursday, Sinrud, who had filed in February, said he withdrew from the race because he needed to attend to providing for his family after his business was shut down by the Montana Board of Architecture.

“Honestly, I had to look at taking care of my family,” he said.

In October, the state board ordered Sinrud to stop operating his business, an architecture-design firm, without an architecture license. Sinrud said he did nothing wrong and the action was politically orchestrated by Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, whom Sinrud has criticized harshly in the past.

“The governor’s actions were Stalinistic and oppressive,” Sinrud said.

Sinrud said his new line of work, which he would not describe but said was in the private sector, would not allow him to take four months off to attend the session.

During the 2007 Legislative session, Sinrud, representing House District 67, was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Another Republican, Gordon Vance, filed Thursday to run in Sinrud’s district. Vance will run against Democratic candidate Joel Steinmetz.

Koopman, who represents House District 70, announced in January that he would run instead in House District 69, an open seat. But as of Thursday’s 5 p.m. filing deadline, the Secretary of State’s office had not received his filing papers. The Chronicle on Thursday could not reach Koopman for a comment on his decision.

During the 2007 session, Koopman served as vice chair of the House Education Committee.

Earlier this month, Koopman made headlines when he announced his plan to oust 14 sitting Republican legislators he called socialists by finding other Republicans to run against them in their primaries.

Two other Republicans are vying for House District 69, Clint Regenold, of Three Forks, and Ted Washburn, of Bozeman. Two Democrats also are seeking the seat, Loren Acton, of Bozeman, and Joe Hensleigh, also of Bozeman. Acton and Hensleigh both filed Thursday.

Larry Blakesley, chairman of the Gallatin County Republicans, said he was unaware that Koopman did not file.

“I fully expected him to,” Blakesley said. “Why he didn’t, he’s the only the only one that can answer that.”

Blakesley said that overall, Republicans did a good job getting on the ballot, with a candidate in every district in Gallatin County.

After much last-minute shuffling on both sides of the aisle, only one seat, Senate District 34, is going unopposed. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, now holds that seat.

Carol Stahl, chairwoman of the Gallatin County Democratic Central Committee, said she is pleased with the turnout of Democratic candidates in the county.

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