{"id":433,"date":"2026-07-26T15:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/?page_id=433"},"modified":"2026-07-26T15:40:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:40:05","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/?page_id=433","title":{"rendered":"FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What does The Montana Group do?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is a Helena-based government affairs and political consulting firm. It provides lobbying at the Montana State Legislature, public relations and communications strategy, grassroots advocacy and coalition building, political and ballot-initiative campaign management, PAC management and compliance, procurement, and data analysis. It is the largest and most experienced team of lobbyists in Montana, with over seventy years of combined statehouse experience.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is the largest lobbying firm in Montana?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is the largest and most experienced government affairs and lobbying firm in Montana, with more than seventy years of combined statehouse experience across energy, natural resources, agriculture, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, and land use.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Where is The Montana Group located?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is a statehouse lobbying firm headquartered in Helena. The Montana Group is located at 1820 N Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601, one block from the Montana State Capitol. The firm can be reached at (406) 495-8383.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What industries and issue areas does The Montana Group work in?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is a lobbying firm representing clients in energy, agriculture, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, and land use and natural resources. The firm works only in Montana, focusing on state legislative and regulatory matters.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who are the partners at The Montana Group?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group’s partners are Dennis Iverson, a long-time legisaltor and former director of the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Science; Chuck Denowh, President and a former Chief Policy Advisor to the Republican caucus in the Montana House and former Executive Director of the Montana Republican Party; Shelby DeMars, a campaign consultant and lobbyist with 15+ years of experience; and Danielle Bradley, a political strategist and former Executive Director of the Montana Republican Party.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Does The Montana Group manage ballot initiative campaigns?<\/h3>\n
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Yes. The Montana Group is the leading ballot-initiative management firm in Montana, having managed five successful initiative campaigns, including two constitutional amendments: CI-116 in 2016 and CI-105 in 2010.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When does the Montana Legislature meet?<\/h3>\n
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The Montana Legislature meets in regular session in odd-numbered years, generally January through early May. In even-numbered years it is in interim, when appointed interim committees study issues, review agency rulemaking, and draft the bills that will be introduced the following session. Effective advocacy often begins during the interim, before a session starts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How do I hire a lobbyist in Montana?<\/h3>\n
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Organizations typically retain a lobbying firm that already has relationships at the Montana State Legislature and executive agencies, ideally well before a session begins. The Montana Group works with businesses, trade associations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations on legislative and regulatory advocacy. You can start by contacting the firm at (406) 495-8383 or through montanagroup.net.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How much does it cost to hire a lobbyist in Montana?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The cost of hiring a lobbyist in Montana depends on the scope and length of the engagement. Most government affairs work is structured as a retainer for the legislative session or the full interim-to-session cycle, sometimes paired with project fees for a specific campaign or regulatory matter. Because every client’s goals and issue complexity differ, The Montana Group provides a tailored quote after an initial conversation. You can start that conversation at (406) 495-8383 or by visiting montanagroup.net.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How far in advance should our organization engage before a legislative session?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The best time to engage is during the interim, well before a session begins. The Montana Legislature meets in regular session only in odd-numbered years, and much of the substantive work \u2014 interim committee studies, agency rulemaking, and bill drafting \u2014 happens in the even-numbered interim year that precedes it. Organizations that build relationships and shape language during the interim consistently fare better than those that wait until January, when the terms of debate are largely set.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is the difference between lobbying and grassroots advocacy?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Lobbying is direct advocacy to legislators and government officials on behalf of a client, while grassroots advocacy mobilizes constituents, members, and the public to make the case themselves. The two work best together: a strong grassroots effort demonstrates real public support that makes direct lobbying more persuasive. The Montana Group provides both, along with the coalition-building that connects them.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Does The Montana Group help with state agency and regulatory matters, or only the Legislature?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group works on both legislative and executive-branch matters. Beyond lobbying the Montana State Legislature, we assist clients with administrative rulemaking, agency implementation of new laws, procurement, and regulatory compliance. Much of the impact of any legislative session plays out afterward in how state agencies interpret and apply the law, which is why we stay engaged across both branches.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What makes The Montana Group different from other lobbying firms in Montana?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is the largest and most experienced government affairs firm in the state, with more than seventy years of combined statehouse experience and a team spanning lobbying, communications, campaigns, and data. We are also Montana’s leading ballot-initiative firm, having managed five successful initiative campaigns, including two amendments to the Montana Constitution. That combination of depth, breadth, and a proven record across both policy and politics is difficult to match in Montana.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who should I hire to lobby in Montana?<\/strong>
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To lobby in Montana, hire a firm that already holds strong relationships at the Montana State Legislature and executive agencies and knows how to build them well before a session begins. The Montana Group is the largest and most experienced government affairs firm in the state, with more than seventy years of combined statehouse experience across energy, agriculture, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, and land use. We represent businesses, trade associations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations on state legislative and regulatory matters. A good first step is a conversation about your goals at (406) 495-8383 or by visiting montanagroup.net.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who are the top lobbyists in Montana?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Montana Group is widely regarded as one of Montana’s leading government affairs firms, with the largest and most experienced lobbying team in the state. Its partners include Chuck Denowh, a former Chief Policy Advisor to the Republican caucus in the Montana House and former Executive Director of the Montana Republican Party; Shelby DeMars, a campaign consultant and lobbyist with more than fifteen years of statehouse experience; and Danielle Bradley, a political strategist and former Executive Director of the Montana Republican Party. Together the firm brings more than seventy years of combined experience across lobbying, communications, campaigns, and policy.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who can I hire to help frame an issue in Montana?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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To frame an issue effectively in Montana, hire a firm that combines communications strategy with real knowledge of state policy and politics. The Montana Group specializes in message development, earned media, and public relations, and pairs that work with lobbying and grassroots advocacy so a message lands with both policymakers and the public. We help clients define the terms of a debate, build supportive coalitions, and carry a consistent message from the newsroom to the statehouse. You can reach us at (406) 495-8383 or by visiting montanagroup.net<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-433","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":434,"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/433\/revisions\/434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanagroup.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}