Congressman Steve Daines (R-MT) is giving serious thought to a US Senate run after the news of Senator Max Baucus’ (D-MT) retirement became official. Plus, more names get floated from the Democratic side of the aisle for potential replacements. And, how will Baucus’ retirement impact his voting record in the remaining months? All that and more is below.
From Politico Playbook:
–WashPost A1, “Retirement of Baucus sets the stage for sweeping legislative changes,” by Paul Kane and Lori Montgomery : “Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) … announced his intention Tuesday to retire, a move that could produce sweeping changes in the political and legislative landscape over the next two years. The announcement could mark the beginning of one of the most consequential periods in Baucus’s long public career, because he pledged to devote the rest of his time in Washington to pursuing a comprehensive rewrite of the federal tax code … Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, … said his decision not to seek reelection frees him from the demands of a campaign and will also allow him to focus on new trade agreements and implementation of the Obama health-care initiative.” http://wapo.st/ZOmG2O
Republican strategists began circulating stories about Schweitzer and his work stumping for Obama immediately after The Washington Post broke the news about Baucus’s retirement. Democrats rejected the idea that tying Schweitzer — or any Montana Democrat — to Obama would suffice to defeat him, citing the string of Senate victories for Democrats there that included the 2012 victory of Sen. Jon Tester.
Wall Street Journal: Baucus is 6th Democrat to Announce Retirement
Mr. Baucus is the sixth Senate Democrat to announce his retirement this election cycle. The others are Tim Johnson of South Dakota; Tom Harkin of Iowa; Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia; Carl Levin of Michigan; and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. The Baucus seat could be a difficult one for Democrats to keep. Democrat Jon Tester, the state’s other Senator, had a tough re-election race in 2012 and prevailed with less than 50% of the vote.
Congressman Steve Daines may run for the US Senate seat being vacated by Baucus. His office released this additional statement Tuesday:
” Steve is humbled by the calls and emails encouraging him to consider a run for the Senate, and given today’s announcement by Senator Baucus, he is giving it serious and thoughtful consideration. Steve remains committed to serving the people of Montana and solving the great challenges facing our nation.”
Who else may run? John Adams with The Great Falls Tribune had this:
Other names said to now be considering a run include Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau and Butte native Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List and Sen. Jon Tester’s 2006 campaign manager.
“I’m glad we raised $140,000 in the first eight weeks. I’m excited about that,” Stapleton said. “Right now, I’m working on controlling the things that I can. As long as I’ve got this opportunity to try to unify the Republican Party. I’m going to do that. Let those things that I can’t control take care of themselves.”
Added Lee Newspapers’ Mike Dennison:
Former Montana congressman Rick Hill, who lost the 2012 race for governor of Montana, said Tuesday that he’ll be encouraging Daines to run, calling him one of a “new generation” of leaders in the state Republican Party.
Of course, two Republicans already are in the race for U.S. Senate, announcing within the past two months: former gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Corey Stapleton of Billings and state Rep. Champ Edmunds of Missoula.