2003: Aaron Flint Was Elected President Of The University Of Montana’s Student Government After Accepting A Contribution Linked To A Republican-Aligned PAC

2003: Flint Was Elected President Of The University Of Montana’s Student Government, ASUM, After Accepting A $75 Contribution Linked To The Forward Montana PAC

April 24, 2003: Flint Was Elected President Of The University Of Montana’s Student Government. “On April 24, Aaron Flint and Gale Price were elected the next president and vice president, respectively, of the University of Montana's student government, the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

• The University Of Montana’s Student Government Was Known As The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (ASUM). “On April 24, Aaron Flint and Gale Price were elected the next president and vice president, respectively, of the University of Montana's student government, the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

Flint And His Running Mate Accepted A $75 Contribution Linked To The Forward Montana PAC. “On April 24, Aaron Flint and Gale Price were elected the next president and vice president, respectively, of the University of Montana's student government, the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM). But this year's race was marred by controversy not commonly seen in student elections when the Flint/Price ticket accepted a $75 contribution linked to the political action committee (PAC) Forward Montana.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

• ASUM Campaign Spending Was Limited To $175 For A President And Vice Presidential Candidate Team. “At the time of the filing of this action, Plaintiff Aaron Flint was the President of ASUM. He was elected to that position, among other things, by violating ASUM's campaign spending bylaws during the 2003 elections. Campaign spending was limited in the 2003 elections to $175.00 for a president and vice president candidate team. Flint and his running mate, current ASUM president-elect Gail Price, spent roughly $300.00 on their campaign. For this they were censured during the 2003-04 academic year, while Flint was president of ASUM.” [U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, Flint v. Dennison, Order, filed 8/20/04]

Flint Accepted A $75 Contribution From Jason Thielman, Which Flint Reported As Being From Forward Montana. “‘Forward Montana did not contribute to Aaron Flint's race,’ says Thielman. ‘Jason Thielman, chairman of Forward Montana, contributed. I just wrote him a check for $75, so the PAC is not contributing to an ASUM presidential race.’ If Thielman was offering Flint a personal contribution not linked to his PAC, however, this was not made clear to Flint, who attributed the $75 contribution to Forward Montana on his UM campaign finance report sheet. Flint attempted to clear up the matter at the April 30 meeting of ASUM. ‘Although I put ‘Forward Montana’ on the campaign finance report, it was actually a personal check, so technically’ it wasn't a PAC contribution, Flint said, elaborating that he had hoped to ‘make a statement’ by citing the PAC, of which he is a member, as well as to ‘err on the side of full disclosure.’” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

• Jason Thielman Was Chief Deputy Secretary Of State And Chairman Of Forward Montana. “Thielman serves as chief deputy secretary of state and is also the chairman of Forward Montana, and he points out that his PAC didn't technically give money to Flint.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

The Forward Montana PAC Mostly Financed State Republican Candidates And Drew Criticism For Being Run By Republican Insiders

2002: Forward Montana Spent $19,255 Financing 16 Republican State Candidates And $178 Financing Two Democratic State Candidates. “According to Montana State Senator John Brueggeman, the present vice chairman of the PAC he founded in the fall of 2001, Forward Montana is ‘a group of young people aimed at helping young people stay in the state of Montana’ by ‘making sure Montana is business-friendly and family-friendly.’ Brueggeman says that while his organization is philosophically conservative, it is also non-partisan. The assessment of the PAC as non-partisan doesn't add up for ASUM Senator Matt Jennings, who points out that, in the 2002 legislative elections, Forward Montana spent $19,255 financing 16 Republican candidates and only $178 financing two Democratic candidates.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

The Vice Chairman Of The Forward Montana PAC Described It As “A Group Of Young People Aimed At Helping Young People Stay In The State Of Montana.” “According to Montana State Senator John Brueggeman, the present vice chairman of the PAC he founded in the fall of 2001, Forward Montana is ‘a group of young people aimed at helping young people stay in the state of Montana’ by ‘making sure Montana is business-friendly and family-friendly.’ Brueggeman says that while his organization is philosophically conservative, it is also non-partisan. The assessment of the PAC as non-partisan doesn't add up for ASUM Senator Matt Jennings, who points out that, in the 2002 legislative elections, Forward Montana spent $19,255 financing 16 Republican candidates and only $178 financing two Democratic candidates.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

In Discussing The Forward Montana PAC, Student Government Leader Matt Jennings Said, “Unfortunately, I Don’t Think The Students Are Running The Show.” “The assessment of the PAC as non-partisan doesn't add up for ASUM Senator Matt Jennings, who points out that, in the 2002 legislative elections, Forward Montana spent $19,255 financing 16 Republican candidates and only $178 financing two Democratic candidates. ‘Unfortunately, I don't think the students are running the show,’ Jennings says.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

• Jennings: “[Forward Montana] Is Said To Be A Student Organization, But It’s Actually Run By John Brueggeman, Cory Swanson And Jason Thielman Out Of The Secretary Of State’s Office, And A Few Other Republican Bigwigs.” “The assessment of the PAC as non-partisan doesn't add up for ASUM Senator Matt Jennings, who points out that, in the 2002 legislative elections, Forward Montana spent $19,255 financing 16 Republican candidates and only $178 financing two Democratic candidates. ‘Unfortunately, I don't think the students are running the show,’ Jennings says. ‘[Forward Montana] is said to be a student organization, but it's actually run by John Brueggeman, Cory Swanson and Jason Thielman out of the secretary of state's office, and a few other Republican bigwigs.’” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

The PAC Contribution To Flint’s Student Government Campaign Was Unusual

Missoula Independent: “Regardless Of The Technical Terms Of Thielman’s Contribution To Flint And Price’s Campaign, The Donation Marked A New Era In UM Student Politics.” “Regardless of the technical terms of Thielman's contribution to Flint and Price's campaign, the donation marked a new era in UM student politics. Until this election, students had raised campaign money out of pocket or by gathering donations from other students and family members. Lindsay Vaughey, Montana's commissioner of political practices, says that she has never heard of a PAC-related contribution to student politics in her five years in office.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

Montana’s Commissioner Of Political Practices Said She Had Never Heard Of A PAC-Related Contribution To Student Politics In Her Five Years In Office. “Regardless of the technical terms of Thielman's contribution to Flint and Price's campaign, the donation marked a new era in UM student politics. Until this election, students had raised campaign money out of pocket or by gathering donations from other students and family members. Lindsay Vaughey, Montana's commissioner of political practices, says that she has never heard of a PAC-related contribution to student politics in her five years in office.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

In Discussing The PAC-Linked Contribution, Flint’s Opponent Said “I Don’t Know If It’s Unethical, But It Doesn’t Sit Right With Me.” “Christy Schilke, the outgoing ASUM vice president who ran against Flint, says that people should be concerned about student candidates accepting money from any outside groups. ‘Being an ASUM executive or student leader, you need to be non-partisan, and if you have a political PAC backing you up, that takes away from your non-partisanship,’ Schilke said. ‘I don't know if it's unethical, but it doesn't sit right with me.’” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

After Accepting The Outside Contribution, Flint Was One Of Five ASUM Senators To Vote Against Prohibiting Outside Campaign Donations

April 24, 2003: Flint Was Elected President Of The University Of Montana’s Student Government After Accepting A Contribution Linked To The Forward Montana PAC. “On April 24, Aaron Flint and Gale Price were elected the next president and vice president, respectively, of the University of Montana's student government, the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM). But this year's race was marred by controversy not commonly seen in student elections when the Flint/Price ticket accepted a $75 contribution linked to the political action committee (PAC) Forward Montana.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

April 30, 2003: ASUM Voted 16-5 In Favor Of Changing Its Bylaws To Prohibit Outside Campaign Donations. “It didn't sit right with some others either, as several ASUM senators set about drafting a change to the University's election by laws to prohibit the type of contribution that Flint and Price accepted. The proposed changes were discussed vigorously for over two hours at ASUM's final meeting of the year on Wed., April 30--an occasion typically marked by awards, smiles and handshakes rather than intense debate. […] After a flurry of amendments and counter-amendments, ASUM voted 16-5 in favor of changing the bylaws to prohibit outside campaign donations.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

• ASUM Senator Alex Rosenleaf: “PAC Money Is Not The Sort Of Thing We Want To Let Into The ASUM Political Process.” “‘The issue is, should off-campus political action committees be able to buy into ASUM elections, and I say no,’ said ASUM Senator Alex Rosenleaf. ‘I know it's done on the federal level. I know it's done on the state level, but, by God, I think we should be better than that. PAC money is not the sort of thing we want to let into the ASUM political process.’” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]

Flint Was One Of Five ASUM Senators To Vote Against Prohibiting Outside Campaign Donations. “After a flurry of amendments and counter-amendments, ASUM voted 16-5 in favor of changing the bylaws to prohibit outside campaign donations. ‘Everybody just wanted to get out of there,’ says Flint. ‘It wasn't fully thought through.’ Flint, one of the five who voted against the changes, says that during his presidency in the coming year, the senate may revisit the issue.” [Missoula Independent, 5/15/03]