A while back on this blog, I said that former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) could challenge Max Baucus for his US Senate seat, and 2 years later could still run as the Vice Presidential candidate with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Based on the messages coming from former Gov. Schweitzer, it sure sounds like he will soon be in the race for US Senate in 2014.
Here’s what Gov. Schweitzer told The Hill:
On Tuesday morning Schweitzer said he’s currently focused on saving Stillwater Mine. Schweitzer, along with New York Hedge Fund the Clinton Group, is in the midst of an attempt to take-over the struggling mine, which employs 1,664 workers in the state.
“I’m the kind of guy that when I see a broke-down pickup I’ll get out with my tools and try to fix it, and I can tell you looking at Washington, D.C. from Montana, there is no bigger broke-down pickup than the Senate in Washington, D.C.,” Schweitzer said in an interview, when asked if he was looking at a run to replace Baucus, who announced his retirement Tuesday morning.
As for Baucus, he has now made it official in an interview with the AP:
“I don’t want to die here with my boots on. There is life beyond Congress,” the 71-year-old Baucus said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
Former two-term Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer indicated an interest in the race in an interview with The Associated Press.
“The opportunity to try and get the country moving again like we did in Montana, that’s appealing,” Schweitzer said. “I’m a fixer.”
From MTN’s Marnee Banks at KPAX.com:
“Max has served in the U.S. Senate longer than any body in the history of Montana,” Schweitzer said in an interview. “Nobody who lives in Montana can blame him for wanting to spend more time in Montana.”
And, from John Adams with The Great Falls Tribune:
Reached at his home in Georgetown Lake, former Schweitzer told the Tribune Tuesday morning he would not rule out a run for the U.S. Senate. Schweitzer had long been rumored to be considering challenging Baucus in a Democratic primary.
Here’s a couple more interesting tidbits via Twitter. The Montana GOP goes after Schweitzer’s support for Canadian-style socialized medicine, which goes even further than Obamacare. Meanwhile, Roll Call sheds some light on how long Baucus has been weighing the decision.
Walter Morris
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 10:38 AM
I do hope that the voters of Mt. will get informed about the real actions of our beloved Governor and vote for the good of Montana. I think that people will put him in his place if they really know about all of his past efforts in getting his way on all the promises he made to those who had the money. Is it vain hope that the majority of the voters really care about anything besides what handouts we can each get? I would like to believe that deep down we can vote for the good of our country.