Why Montana Rep. Maleri Stromsvold Tried to Resign

On Aug. 12, 21-year-old Billings Republican Mallory Stromswald signed a letter withdrawing from his legislative race and forwarded it to the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee, which after some delay forwarded it to the Montana Secretary of State.

In theory, that would remove Stromswald from the ballot and the county party would choose a replacement to face Democratic candidate James Reavis, who is running to represent central Billings County in November. In practice, the district party came to elect a new Republican candidate. But the man who defeated Reavis in the general election was Maleri Stromsvold.

Stromsvold now says she will take her seat in House District 50 for a second term on Jan. 2.

How she got to this point, despite willingly ending her bid three months before the election, offers a window into both the rigors of elected office as a twentysomething and the internal friction within the state’s GOP. Questions about Stromsvold’s status and the exact reasons for her attempted withdrawal have swirled around the Capitol since lawmakers gathered for pre-session meetings last week, especially given Stromsvold’s periodic positions in opposition to her party in the 2021 session.

Stromsvold said she tried to retire mostly for personal reasons related to her physical health and education, but has since decided to return to the Legislature. This story did not assuage the confusion of why and how things had changed so quickly for her.

“People can do what they want with that information, but I’m here to serve,” Stromsvold said in an interview this week with the Montana Free Press.

The technical reason Stromsvold kept his seat in the Legislature was that the county party missed a deadline. Under state law, applicants wishing to withdraw their applications this year had to submit signed documents to the Secretary of State’s office by 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, an office spokesman said. Stromsvold’s letter, which MTFP obtained through a public records request, did not arrive until later that week. She said her letter was notarized and delivered to the county party the day she signed it, Aug. 12, and she didn’t realize her resignation had not been accepted until she received a phone call from the secretary of state’s office.

“There was some misunderstanding,” said Tim Stark, Yellowstone County party chairman. “We didn’t read the fine print that it should be on SOS by that date.”

The party had already moved on to interview possible replacements, including Curtis Schommer, a union worker at Sibanye-Stillwater Mining Co. who had just lost a primary election in a neighboring district, and Edward Walker, a former state lawmaker previously associated with the controversial group for dark money Montana Growth Network. Schommer, who could not be reached for comment, was the eventual choice.

Walker said county party officials conducted phone interviews with the candidates in the week before the deadline, but the audio quality was poor and the finalists were asked to interview in person the following week. Walker did so and interviewed select members of the central committee and Yellowstone County Republicans, he said. He heard the next day that the group had decided to go with Schommer, but by then it was too late to replace Stromsvold. Walker said he organized support and raised funds for Stromsvold when it became clear she would be in the race.

“We interviewed several people who were interested in whether this happened,” Stark said. “Obviously not and yes, here we are.”

The expiration coincided with Stromsvold’s renewed interest in running for re-election. When she signed the resignation letter, she said she was recovering from health challenges and struggling to figure out how to manage both her legislative responsibilities and her continuing education at Montana State University. She also faced a potentially unpleasant welcome back in Helena.

While serving on the House Judiciary Committee in 2021, Stromsvold was the only Republican on the committee to vote against two bills limiting transgender rights and health care access in Montana. In the House Human Services Committee, she tearfully defended a Democratic proposal that would have allowed minors to stay in shelters without parental consent, as most Republicans on the committee were poised to introduce the bill.

“My whole political ideology is based on the fact that I don’t think we should control people’s lives,” she said in January 2021.

Her voices and strongly held personal views have made her a target for right-wing activists. Far-right pastor and campaigner JD Hall criticized her votes on transgender restrictions and gave her the “Freshman RINO Award.”

Stromsvold previously told MTFP that she sometimes felt rejected for her principles by other members of her party. She said even she was surprised she didn’t face a major contender this year.

Asked this week whether she voluntarily withdrew her candidacy for personal reasons or in response to pressure from Republicans, Stromsvold said her choice was a “combination of many things.”

“My main reason was to focus on school,” she said. “But there were some factors that made Helena not the most pleasant place for me.”

However, she said, if she doesn’t return to Helena to take a stand on issues important to her, “who will?”

Walker, the former lawmaker, said he didn’t get the impression that Republicans were unhappy with Stromsvold’s votes so much as his lack of life experience. Still, he said, he thinks she’s done a good job representing the district. Stark said he understands that Stromsvold wanted to go back to school, but he must have “caught the bug” again and decided to serve. It’s not very often you see someone with that level of conviction at her age, he said.

“She’s made up her mind and she’s going to serve out the term,” Stark said. “Lesson learned, if we had received the documents sooner, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Stromsvold’s decision to serve out his newly elected term came as a surprise to some in Republican circles in Yellowstone this week.

“I’ve heard a lot of different stories, a lot of different antics on her part,” said Congresswoman Kerry Seekins-Crow, R-Billings. Seekins-Crowe said he knew nothing of the background behind the withdrawal attempt.

She said she now wishes Stromsvold the best as he heads into the next session. Stromsvold will serve on the Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Transportation and State Administration committees.

“I hope she’s prepared for that and ready to be part of the Republican caucus,” Seekins-Crow said.