A political newbie seeking the Republican party's nomination for governor of Montana is on the board of Mountain States Legal Foundation, a group that fought a tribal voting rights suit.

Pat Davison, a businessman, also gave $1,000 to Mountain States. He was questioned about his involvement with the group at a GOP debate yesterday.

Mountain States represented Blaine County in a voting rights suit brought by the Fort Belknap Tribes. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the county violated the rights of tribal members on the reservation.

Elsewhere, the group has fought tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians and federal policy protecting sacred sites. The group has lost every major challenge in the courts.

Davison's running mate, incidentally, is Dave Mihalic, a former National Park Service superintendent and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

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