As Democrats nationally debate how moderate or progressive the party should be and how to connect with voters who don't live on the coasts, the same debate, to some extent, is also happening at the state level. In Montana, urban areas that lean Democratic continue to grow, but Democrats who want to win statewide races still need to pick up enough votes from rural areas.

Lindeen said she tried to find a message that balanced the concerns from voters in all parts of the state as head of the state party.

“There’s always been a lot of diverse ideas about what we should focus on, and I think in the end everybody agrees that our core values are the same,” Lindeen said. “Here in Montana, we all understand the importance of making sure that we are doing what’s right for all of our Montana communities. ... Maybe sometimes we have a differing opinion in how to get there, but in the end I think it’s good to have those discussions and those debates, and when it’s all said and done, we all come together and we find a path we can agree on and move forward.”

Lindeen also said Monday recent criticism the party hasn’t been as engaged recently as some would like is “nothing new.”