---
title: 'Conservatives and Republicans Support Death Penalty Repeal Bill in Montana'
description: 'A bipartisan group of legislators in Montana will introduce a bill to replace the state’s death penalty with a sentence of life without parole. The…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/conservatives-and-republicans-support-death-penalty-repeal-bill-in-montana'
section: news
date: '2013-02-04T17:13:00-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:34:18-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

! A bipartisan group of legislators in **Montana** will introduce a bill to replace the state's death penalty with a sentence of life without parole. The sponsors include two Republicans and two Democrats. A coalition of conservative lawmakers, religious groups, and human rights groups support the repeal of capital punishment. Republican **Sen. Matthew Rosendale** (pictured), a member of **Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty,** said his stance on the death penalty did not cost him votes. “People know where I stand on the death penalty and I still got elected by a wide margin....\[I\]f you stand up and say, ‘I’m against the death penalty,’ you will not lose conservative votes.” He added that conservatives, many of whom are concerned about abortion, have a variety of reasons for opposing the death penalty: “Everyone has their own reasons why they support ending the death penalty. For some folks, it’s for fiscal reasons, and other folks oppose it for moral issues.”

A similar bill passed the state Senate in 2009 and 2011, but died in the House Judiciary Committee.

J. Adams, [Anti-death penalty bill revived: Group to call for life in prison without parole instead](https://www.greatfallstribune.com/errors/404/), Great Falls Tribune, February 3, 2013.