Montana gubernatorial election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Montana gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Montana. Democrat
Brian Schweitzer
defeated Montana Secretary of State
Republican
Bob Brown
.
Brian Schweitzer, a farmer
from Whitefish
, began campaigning for the Democratic nomination over a year before the primary. He had narrowly lost the Senate
race to Conrad Burns
in 2000. In February 2004 he announced that liberal
Republican state senator John Bohlinger
would be his running mate
for the post of Lieutenant Governor
. This would be the first bipartisan gubernatorial team since the Montana Constitution
was amended in 1972 to require Governors and Lieutenant Governors to run as a team.
In March 2004 John Vincent, a former speaker of the Montana House of Representatives
entered the race and criticised Schweitzer for taking both sides on some issues. In the end Schweitzer easily won the Democratic primary. Three days after the primary Schweitzer addressed the Montana Democratic Convention, gave a bear hug to his defeated rival, and said he would bring a new kind of leadership to Montana.
had a difficult term of office
with her approval ratings as Governor going as low as 20%. In August 2003 she announced she would not run for re-election as she wanted to spend more time with her family. Lieutenant Governor Karl Ohs
was expected to enter the Republican primary race but decided not to.
Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown, conservative businessman Pat Davison and State Senator
s Ken Miller and Tom Keating competed for the nomination. Brown was seen as the favorite in the primary but was attacked by Pat Davison for being 'liberal on taxes.' Brown was the only one of the candidates who refused to sign a pledge not to raise taxes as he said he wanted to keep all options open as Governor.
Schweitzer campaigned with plans to lift Montana from its position at the bottom of all 50 states in wages. He called for new uses to be found for crops like mint
and for small businesses to pool together in purchasing health care. He also supported opening the border with Canada
to allow consumers to get cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
Brown said that the Democrats harmed business growth and job creation. He touted his government experience including 26 years in the Montana legislature and accused Schweitzer of taking hypocritical stands.
Schweitzer won the election to become the first Democrat in 20 years to win an election for Governor. According to the exit polls Schweitzer obtained two-thirds of the vote from over 65s and from independent voters. This was despite President
George W. Bush
winning Montana very easily over John Kerry
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Brian Schweitzer
Brian Schweitzer
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
defeated Montana Secretary of State
Secretary of State (U.S. state government)
Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Bob Brown
Bob Brown (Montana politician)
Bob Brown was the Secretary of State for Montana and the Republican nominee for governor in 2004.As a young man, Brown was elected to Montana Legislature. Brown spent two years in the State House, 23 in the Senate and his final year in the Legislature as president of the Senate...
.
Democratic primary
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
from Whitefish
Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish....
, began campaigning for the Democratic nomination over a year before the primary. He had narrowly lost the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
race to Conrad Burns
Conrad Burns
Conrad Ray Burns is a former United States Senator from Montana. He is only the second Republican to represent Montana in the Senate since the passage in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and is the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.While in...
in 2000. In February 2004 he announced that liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Republican state senator John Bohlinger
John Bohlinger
John Bohlinger, Jr. is the current Lieutenant Governor of Montana. Bohlinger for lieutenant governor ran as a Republican on a bipartisan ticket headed by Democrat Brian Schweitzer...
would be his running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
for the post of Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
. This would be the first bipartisan gubernatorial team since the Montana Constitution
Montana Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Montana is the primary legal document providing for the self-governance of the U.S. State of Montana. It establishes and defines the powers of the three branches of the government of Montana, and the rights of its citizens...
was amended in 1972 to require Governors and Lieutenant Governors to run as a team.
In March 2004 John Vincent, a former speaker of the Montana House of Representatives
Montana House of Representatives
The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years.-Composition of the House:...
entered the race and criticised Schweitzer for taking both sides on some issues. In the end Schweitzer easily won the Democratic primary. Three days after the primary Schweitzer addressed the Montana Democratic Convention, gave a bear hug to his defeated rival, and said he would bring a new kind of leadership to Montana.
Republican primary
Incumbent Governor Judy MartzJudy Martz
Judy Martz was the 22nd Governor of Montana, having served a single term from January 2, 2001, to January 3, 2005. Earlier, she was the Lieutenant Governor under Marc Racicot from 1997-2001...
had a difficult term of office
Term of office
Term of office or term in office refers to the length of time a person serves in a particular office.-Prime Minister:In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has no term limits...
with her approval ratings as Governor going as low as 20%. In August 2003 she announced she would not run for re-election as she wanted to spend more time with her family. Lieutenant Governor Karl Ohs
Karl Ohs
Karl Ohs was the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Montana under Judy Martz.-Background:Karl Ohs was born in Malta, Montana and was a Montana rancher and farmer before entering politics...
was expected to enter the Republican primary race but decided not to.
Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown, conservative businessman Pat Davison and State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
s Ken Miller and Tom Keating competed for the nomination. Brown was seen as the favorite in the primary but was attacked by Pat Davison for being 'liberal on taxes.' Brown was the only one of the candidates who refused to sign a pledge not to raise taxes as he said he wanted to keep all options open as Governor.
Campaign
In mid summer polls showed Schweitzer had a 10-point lead over Brown, but by October the gap had closed to only 4 percent.Schweitzer campaigned with plans to lift Montana from its position at the bottom of all 50 states in wages. He called for new uses to be found for crops like mint
Mentha
Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
and for small businesses to pool together in purchasing health care. He also supported opening the border with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to allow consumers to get cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
Brown said that the Democrats harmed business growth and job creation. He touted his government experience including 26 years in the Montana legislature and accused Schweitzer of taking hypocritical stands.
Schweitzer won the election to become the first Democrat in 20 years to win an election for Governor. According to the exit polls Schweitzer obtained two-thirds of the vote from over 65s and from independent voters. This was despite President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
winning Montana very easily over John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.