A Washington, D.C.-based super PAC called School Freedom Fund has been flooding Montana legislative races with mailers and digital ads targeting Republican incumbents — including at least one campaign that mistakenly used the wrong person's photograph. The group sent mailers attacking Rep. Curtis Cochran, a Republican from St. Regis, featuring a photo of a motivational speaker from San Diego who also happens to be named Curtis Cochran. Cochran's neighbors were quick to point out the error.

The mix-up didn't blunt the volume of the spending. School Freedom Fund has poured significant money into Montana legislative races in what appears to be an effort to pull the Republican caucus in a particular ideological direction ahead of the 2027 session. The group's focus on education-related messaging fits a pattern of national conservative organizations targeting state legislatures over school choice and curriculum policy.

The spending raises questions familiar to Montana voters: how much influence should out-of-state money have in legislative races that directly shape policy in Helena? The 2027 Legislature will take up issues ranging from the state budget to education funding, and the makeup of the Republican caucus — particularly the balance between more moderate and more hardline members — will matter considerably for how those debates unfold at the State Capitol.