#MillionsofMontanans: Hashtag takes off

It was the news release that launched a Twitter hashtag.

On Thursday evening, the Montana House passed the HELP Act, which is expected to expand Medicaid to 45,000 people. Thirteen Republicans joined House Democrats to pass the bill.

Shortly after the passage, Americans for Prosperity Montana state director Zach Lahn released a statement that said, "We are deeply disappointed in the legislature's decision tonight to expand Medicaid. This decision stands directly against the voices of millions of Montanans who have made it clear that they do not want more Obamacare."

Montana's estimated population in 2014 was 1.02 million.

After the Tribune received the release and state government columnist Kristen Inbody tweeted it out, the misstatement took on a life of its own.

As of Friday morning, #MillionsofMontanans was a popular tweet on the social media site Twitter.

"Yesterday, a 'grassroots' organization talked about the things #MillionsOfMontanans did. What else have #MillionsOfMontanans done? #MTLeg," Gov. Steve Bullock tweeted.

Democrat Sen. Jon Tester joined in: "#MillionsOfMontanans wish they had my haircut. #FlattopFriday #mtpol."

Lahn called the wording a mistake.

"Two mistakes were made yesterday. One was in our press release, the other was on the house floor with the passage of Medicaid expansion," Lahn wrote in an email to the Tribune. "The latter mistake will have a devastating impact on state budget and the lives of Montanans who have made it known that they reject Obamacare. Our organization and our 14,000 Montana activists will be holding lawmakers accountable for that mistake in years to come."

It also appears the gaffe spread to Wikipedia, where a photo posted by Montana Cowgirl appeared to show Montana's population as "millions and millions." It has since been fixed.

The tweets ranged from political to fun.

"AFP gaffe proves they have NO IDEA about Montana, claim #MillionsOfMontanans agree with them! #mtleg #facepalm," the blog Montana Cowgirl posted.

"If there were actually #MillionsofMontanans, maybe we could actually make #MillionsOfMontanans trend," posted Melanie Hall, commissioner of the Montana Division of Banking and Financial Institutions.

Even AFP-Montana embraced the hashtag, using it in its posts Friday: "#millionsofmontanans tax dollars will now be spent on a program that is failing its patients. #MedicaidExpansion #mtpol #mtleg."

#MillionsofMontanans on Twitter