CBS Touts GOPers Who Sided With Dems Against ‘Ultra Conservative’ Party

On Monday, CBS Mornings finally found Republicans they liked. The people they celebrated were the so-called “Nasty Nine,” a group of self-described Republicans in Montana’s State Senate who decided to throw their lot in with Democrats and pass their agenda. Of course, CBS framed the story as the nine righteously breaking ranks to stand up against the scary “ultra-conservative caucus.”

Fill-in co-anchor Michael George led into the segment by teeing it up as a wonderful tale of politicians overcoming “political polarization,” where the Republican Party was the bad guys and the Democrats were the good guys. He even suggested it was an example for the rest of the country:

Well, look, it is no secret that political polarization is pretty much the norm these days with Republicans and Democrats not agreeing on much. Now, back in April, nine GOP state senators in Montana were kicked out of their party for voting with Democrat colleagues across the aisle. Now, some of those lawmakers are talking to our Jo Ling Kent about why they did it and how they hope to set an example for the rest of the country.

“Montana is often called ‘the last best place where life feels different.’ And this year, ‘different’ meant something rare: Republicans and Democrats voting together,” gushed correspondent Jo Ling Kent. “Nine Republican state senators voted with 18 Democrats to form a new majority to pass major legislation last session, undermining the influence of the ultra-conservative caucus of the Montana GOP … Safe to say it did not go over well.”

Kent lamented, “The political punishment was swift. The nine senators were censured by their own party in April, stripped of their GOP status, and in June, cut off from voting rights at Republican Party conventions.”

 

 

Without going into any detail about the legislation that was passed by the “new majority,” and without any word from the opposition about what they had issues with, Kent partnered with the senators to boast about what was done (Click “expand”):

KENT: What was at stake, senator?

RUSS TEMPEL (R-state senator, MT): Things as far as I was concerned was the Medicaid expansion. Example, of one of the hospitals I work with, they work on a pretty small margin.

KENT: Senator, what was at stake for you?

DENLEY LOGE (R-state senator, MT): Medicaid reauthorization. I had two rural hospitals in my district.

KENT: What would have happened if you had not been able to pass this legislation?

LOGE: Well, you get people that will go to the Emergency Room, so we end up paying two and three times the cost as taxpayers. And if that happens, pretty soon the doors are going to close as well.

KENT: In another bipartisan effort, the Senate approved a state trust to support housing, infrastructure, pensions and childcare.

JOSH KASSMIER (R-state senator, MT): We're going to invest in dams, bridges.

Kent even spoke with a couple of Montana Democrats who beamed about the Republicans (Click “expand”):

CORA NEUMANN (D-state senator, MT): Americans need that right now. Just, don't look left, look right. Look ahead at the goal which is to serve our constituents. There's a lot of pain in Montana right now.

KASSMIER: They want to see relief. They want to see their quality of life improve.

LAURA SMITH (D-state senator, MT): I refuse to use the word bipartisan as a bad word. He might not vote for my bill, I might not vote for his, but we can both vote on it on behalf for constituents, you better bet we'll come together.

NEUMANN: I like these guys. I can tell you that.

“It is nice to see that unity in Montana certainly bucking the trend nationwide,” Kent proclaimed.

While Kent was palling around with the Senator’s at one of their homes, she didn’t seem to do any in-person meetings with the Republicans they opposed. Instead, she just paraphrased from a statement and hyped a lawsuit against the party:

And this story is not over yet. The Montana Republican Party chairman did confirm to us at CBS News the party no longer considers the Republicans that we interviewed to be members of their party. That has three of the nine Republican senators suing to regain their rights to vote at the Republican Party Convention in Montana.

The so-called nasty nine says the punishment has been a distraction for what they call the GOP leadership's failure to deliver for Montana families, and they're committed, they say, to their conservative principles. And they’re just looking for some unity.

Meanwhile, the left didn’t look too kindly on the Democratic U.S. Senators who crossed the aisle to join Republicans in ending the government shutdown just last month.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

CBS Mornings
December 29, 2025
8:20:04 a.m. Eastern

MICHAEL GEORGE: Well, look, it is no secret that political polarization is pretty much the norm these days with Republicans and Democrats not agreeing on much. Now, back in April, nine GOP state senators in Montana were kicked out of their party for voting with Democrat colleagues across the aisle. Now, some of those lawmakers are talking to our Jo Ling Kent about why they did it and how they hope to set an example for the rest of the country.

[Cuts to video]

JO LING KENT: Montana is often called “the last best place where life feels different.” And this year, “different” meant something rare: Republicans and Democrats voting together.

JOSH KASSMIER (R-state senator, MT): I mean I would have worked with anybody if they had a solution.

KENT: Nine Republican state senators voted with 18 Democrats to form a new majority to pass major legislation last session, undermining the influence of the ultra-conservative caucus of the Montana GOP.

KASSMIER: We voted for lower income tax relief. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in the future of Montana.

KENT: Safe to say it did not go over well.

Y'all were called part of a nasty nine.

KASSMIER: Yeah, that's right.

DENLEY LOGE (R-state senator, MT): I say necessary nine.

KENT: The political punishment was swift. The nine senators were censured by their own party in April, stripped of their GOP status, and in June cut off from voting rights at Republican Party conventions.

BRUCE GILLESPIE (R-state senator, MT): It become more my way or the highway.

KENT: What was at stake, senator?

RUSS TEMPEL (R-state senator, MT): Things as far as I was concerned was the Medicaid expansion. Example, of one of the hospitals I work with, they work on a pretty small margin.

KENT: Senator, what was at stake for you?

LOGE: Medicaid reauthorization. I had two rural hospitals in my district.

KENT: What would have happened if you had not been able to pass this legislation?

LOGE: Well, you get people that will go to the Emergency Room, so we end up paying two and three times the cost as taxpayers. And if that happens, pretty soon the doors are going to close as well.

KENT: In another bipartisan effort, the Senate approved a state trust to support housing, infrastructure, pensions and childcare.

KASSMIER: We're going to invest in dams, bridges.

LOGE: And preemptive repairs so that you don't come behind and have to pay a triple price to fix it.

KENT: The state legislative session ended on April 30^th. With lawmakers back home, Senator Bruce Gillespie hosted our interview on familiar ground, his family farm in Etheridge near the Canadian border.

All four GOP Senators here are that connection to land and make their living in agriculture. Despite criticism from within their party, these Republican senators believe they still have hometown support.

BUTCH GILLESPIE (R-state senator, MT): We've had a lot of thank yous. We've had a lot of, you know, atta boys, keep doing what you are doing.

LOGE: I received a lot of e-mails and letters similar to this.

KENT: So, what’s it say? Do you mind reading it to me?

LOGE: I'll read it. Dear Danley, I'm so glad you stayed with your basic ethical beliefs. You have more fans than you know.

KENT: Two Democrats who joined the nine Republicans say they all just focused on what was best for Montana.

I mean, they've been called part of the nasty nine. You’re a Democrat. Are they nasty?

LAURA SMITH (D-state senator, MT): No. We've had some epic, epic arguments.

KASSMIER: We respect their opinion, they respect ours and we just move on, right?

SMITH: And it doesn't change our party values. We always came back to the table.

TEMEL: I mean if we weren't willing to sit down and talk we would have never accomplished half of what we did.

CORA NEUMANN (D-state senator, MT): Americans need that right now. Just, don't look left, look right. Look ahead at the goal which is to serve our constituents. There's a lot of pain in Montana right now.

KASSMIER: They want to see relief. They want to see their quality of life improve.

SMITH: I refuse to use the word bipartisan as a bad word. He might not vote for my bill, I might not vote for his, but we can both vote on it on behalf for constituents, you better bet we'll come together.

NEUMANN: I like these guys. I can tell you that.

KENT: Do you like them back?

KASSMIER: Oh, yeah. Like I said, I’m friends with them. I like them. I'm proud to call them friends.

KENT: So, not the nasty nine after all?

SMITH: No, they are not.

[Cuts back to live]

KENT: It is nice to see that unity in Montana certainly bucking the trend nationwide.

And this story is not over yet. The Montana Republican Party chairman did confirm to us at CBS News the party no longer considers the Republicans that we interviewed to be members of their party. That has three of the nine Republican senators suing to regain their rights to vote at the Republican Party Convention in Montana.

The so-called nasty nine says the punishment has been a distraction for what they call the GOP leadership's failure to deliver for Montana families, and they're committed, they say, to their conservative principles. And they’re just looking for some unity. Guys.

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: What a remarkable story. Jo Ling Kent, thank you very much. That was great.