Posted on 04/23/2013 6:55:13 AM PDT by ConservativeMan55
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is retiring rather than seek re-election in 2014, according to two senior Democratic strategists familiar with his plans. First elected in 1978, Baucus has been the top Democrat on the powerful committee since 2001. The likely Democratic candidate to succeed him would be former governor Brian Schweitzer, sources said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Pleasant news. Hope the GOP can dig up some conservative candidate who can win this seat.
I doubt the republicants can muster enough votes to beat the cheats.
“where is Liz Cheney on marriage given their daughter’s “preferences”.
I think we can do better. We don’t need another devolution to hedonism epiphany.”
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Liz Cheney is Dick Cheney’s daughter—you’re thinking of Lynn Chaney who is Dick Cheney’s wife. The wife is not the potential Senate candidate (although she has a mind like Maggie Thatcher IMHO and would have been a fantastic and hard-hitting Senator herself); the daughter Elizabeth (Liz) is.
Are you forming up and recruiting for your circular firing squad now?
Oh, and I know that Liz Cheney is not from Montana. Someone upthread had mentioned her and her name was sticking in my mind. She would be a great Senator from Wyoming.
the spice must flow.
I’m amazed, the guy is only 71. That’s like being a teenager in the Senate.
Baucus was not afraid of the right, he was much more afraid of Schwietzer. Schwietzer is far more liberal than Baucus. He wanted a far more liberal healthcare bill. (Single Payer) Schwietzer is also far more popular in the state. Only poll although has been a few months has his favs at 58% as opposed to Baucus at 49%. The party could not beat Tester. I seriously don’t see anyone that can touch Schwietzer. Wyden moves to chairmen of banking and is far more liberal there. In the end a 5 termed retires but stronger and more liberal folks take his place. You would think MT would go the other way but I do not see it. As a side note Schwietzer is pro gun but not against background checks as Baucus was one of 4 Dems who voted against. One last tidbit Schwietzer was keynote speaker for Netroots nation a couple of years ago.
With Baucus in the race, the MT Senate is lean Dem. With Baucus retiring and Schweitzer running, the MT Senate is Safe Dem. The only Republican to give Schweitzer a race would be Gov. Marc Raciot. But, he was more interested in becoming US Attorney General, but Bush passed over him for Ashcroft. Raciot did an okay job as RNC Chair in 2002-2003. This Senate seat was his for the taking in 2002. But he wanted to make money for his family.
Win.
Racicot is way old news, anyhow. He hasn’t run a race in what will be 18 years come 2014 (think Tommy Thompson in WI, except his was just 14). He was never well regarded by Conservatives, as I believe he is strongly pro-abort.
Still, Schweitzer is a nasty piece of work. He openly bragged about stealing the ‘06 Senate race for Tester. We need an unapologetic Conservative to go after him hammer and tong. Also, reminding the voters that the people have never elected a Republican to that Senate seat (not since the legislature elected them, and that was last in 1907). It’s time for a change.
Conrad Burns was robbed of that election in 2006. But Tester won re-election despite Obama never contesting the Senate. Plus, MT elected another Dem as Governor again. Unfortunately, Rick Hill and Denny Rehberg were the best that the MT GOP could throw out there. Is MT turning into another CO?
Indeed, Burns was robbed (he was set up by out-of-control Democrats at “Justice”) and he loudly maintained his innocence throughout (same as Stevens in AK, who also was set up). That should’ve been the central focus against Tester in this past election. Rehberg turned out to be a weak candidate (and an establishment type as well), and there were warning signs he wasn’t breaking through in a completely winnable race. Hill’s loss was just outright heartbreaking, although perhaps he’d been out of the public eye too long (hadn’t run a race since 1998), like Racicot.
MT has had a history of close elections for the Senate, which have virtually every time broken for the Democrat (which is suspicious on its face). There’s only been just the two Republicans since the popular vote was instituted: Zales Ecton in 1946 — and he only won because the powerful Dem incumbent had been defeated in the primary and he was not displeased with Ecton’s win over his victor — BUT Ecton couldn’t hold the seat even in the good GOP year of 1952 against then-Congressman Mike Mansfield. From that point until 1988 when Conrad Burns knocked off John Melcher, did the GOP finally elect a 2nd Senator.
I’m not ready to say that MT is following CO. For starters, we have commanding majorities in the legislature. We did hold the open House seat with Steve Daines and captured the open Attorney General position (which hasn’t elected a Republican since Racicot held it back in 1988). We do have a farm team of candidates, it’s just a matter of finding the best ones to run.
He’s a dem-he has NO sense of decency.
I think they drove Rehberg’s negatives up with controversy involving a boating accident he had a few years back. Evidently, he didn’t fight back hard enough.
MT is one odd duck. It seems like it can’t abide national Democrats but won’t associate its own Democrats with them. Hence why Obama gets 42 percent but Tester and Bullock ran about seven points ahead of him. Primarily, it seems the swing comes in the heavier-populated counties (with the exception of Flathead), while Republicans regularly win the small rural counties.
Woah I wouldn’t call it “Safe Dem” but Baucus would certainly have been easier. I expected we would face Schweitzer cause I think he’d have beaten Baucus. But now they have the benefit of party unity.
I agree with DJ that Raciot is washed up. He hasn’t even been in the news for years. AND he’s a RINO.
A PPP poll from February shows a hypothetical matchup between Schweitzer and new Congressman Steve Daines were Schweitzer leads by only 3, in the same poll he leads AG Tim Fox by 6 and trails Raciot by 1 .
We can win this, with a candidate. Daines and Fox are the only Republicans currently in statewide office (thanks to the damn third parties allowing rat plurality wins).
A couple state legislators are the only Republicans currently in the race.
Montana has always given us problems despite being GOP for President since the 50’s (LBJ in ‘64 and Clinton in 92 thanks to Perot, being the only rats to win it since Truman). It has never been as Republican downballot. Compare to Missouri where the state ticket still runs well behind what has became a GOP state for President. Montana legislature got very close in 2006-2010 but currently it and Missouri have a large GOP edges. Statewide offices, entirely different story, it’s pathetic and odd.
Colorado though......
The bad guys won CO rather narrowly but the GOP there is in disarray. No serious Republicans have announced for Governor or Senator yet. Some lib article called the state GOP dead, perhaps an overstatement but I’m worried about Colorado.
he’s simply afraid to defend his pathetic record.....YELLOW BELLIED COWARD....
him and Manchild in West Virginia are the worse kinds of rats....in snake skins....
.remember, democrats used to be for working America....protecting jobs...helping business....
that was the old rat party, the party you could find some sympathy with..
..everyone forgets that they were the original hawks on defense...
there has been funny business in the elections up there...Tester was part of it....
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