Free Republic

HELENA - Despite having already raised more than $775,000 for his re-election campaign, Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer is now turning to Republicans for money. In a highly unusual move, Schweitzer is soliciting money for his 2008 re-election campaign from individuals who donated to Republicans running for governor in 2004. The solicitation tells exactly how much the recipient gave to a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2004 and asks for an identical amount to be given to Schweitzer and Republican Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger's re-election campaign. "We've been reaching out to people," Schweitzer said in a phone interview. "We only received 51...

State Sen. Roy Brown, R-Billings, said Monday he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2008. He is the first GOP candidate to announce a challenge to Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who has announced a re-election bid next year. Brown will formally announce his candidacy on Thursday with a six-city fly-about and a 50-towns-in-10-days ground tour beginning Monday. Elected to the Montana Senate in 2006 after serving four, two-year terms in the Montana House, Brown has held several GOP legislative leadership posts. He said he was "compelled to run because state spending is completely out of control."...

HELENA - A Billings Republican said he is getting closer to announcing plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus. Kirk Bushman, who works at an engineering firm and has not previously run for office, set up a campaign committee earlier this month and filed an initial fundraising report that shows he has raised about $11,000, much of it from family. He also has a Web site announcing "Kirk Bushman for U.S. Senate." But Bushman said he is not yet positive he will run. He wants to talk to more Republicans and go to...

The Hardliner did a nice job of summarizing Montana Supreme Court Justice Pat Cotter's record of voting overwhelmingly with the desires of the Montana Trial Lawyer's Association and the ACLU. Also pointed out is that the MTLA's PAC spent over $100,000 getting her elected in 2000 -- and as noted, that has been money well-spent.

.... "There was no room at any other Canadian neonatal intensive care unit, forcing CHR officials to look south of the border. Jepp was transported to Benefis hospital in Great Falls last Friday -- making her the fifth Alberta woman to be transferred south of the border this year because of neonatal shortages in Calgary."

HELENA - For months, the rumor mill had Paul Edwards, a screenwriter from Helena and chairman of the new Progressive Democrats of Montana, challenging U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., from the party's left next year. Edwards made it clear he's not planning to take on Baucus in the Democratic primary and is unaware of anyone else who is.

HELENA - The state Republican chairman wants to hold a party presidential caucus in February, which would give them a say in picking a preferred GOP candidate far in advance of the state's scheduled June primary. Montana, which has never had much say come presidential primary season, could have even less say next year. The state is one of only two that will not have made primary picks come June, when it is scheduled to hold its primary. Montana Republican Party Chairman Erik Iverson said he wants to change that for the GOP with a February caucus. ............ Only state...

A city police officer was awarded $1.3 million in damages this afternoon by a District Court jury that found merit in all claims by him that supervisors retaliated against him when he reported alleged misconduct within the Billings Police Department. The verdict was announced at 4:35 p.m. after 11 hours of deliberations over two days. The trial that spanned eight days and included testimony from numerous witnesses, including Mayor Ron Tussing, City Administrator Tina Volek and top officers in the Police Department. In the lawsuit filed last year, Officer Steve Feuerstein claimed his career was stalled when and his supervisors...

HELENA - The state's top campaign cop has dismissed a Republican Party complaint that said Gov. Brian Schweitzer accepted an illegal corporate contribution by attending political events at the Kentucky Derby this spring. Schweitzer, a Democrat, traveled to the Derby in Louisville, Ky., the weekend of May 5 at the expense of the Democratic Governors Association. Schweitzer is finance chairman for the association, a private organization that raises money and otherwise assists Democratic candidates running for governor in states across the nation. The Montana Republican Party alleged that association activities could help promote Schweitzer's re-election in 2008, and therefore corporate...

HELENA - Former state legislator Bob Keenan said Tuesday that he's evaluating a recruiting pitch from national Republicans urging him to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Max Baucus next year. The Bigfork resident said he's asking Montanans if they think Baucus can be beat. Keenan, 55, served 12 years in the Montana House and then the Senate, including two years as Senate president, before term limits ended his tenure after 2006. Keenan lost a 2006 primary challenge to U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, 72 percent to 22 percent, with minor candidates splitting the rest. He said officials from the National Republican Senatorial...

During its May special session, the Montana Legislature approved a one-time tax rebate of $400 for Montana homeowners proposed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer. Great. Everyone likes money. But unlike the famous Bush administration rebate of 2001, this rebate is not an automatic process, which raises the question: How do I get paid? The reason the process is not so simple is the manner in which Montana property taxes are collected. The law specifies that only primary residences in which the owner lived for at least seven months during 2006 are eligible for the rebate, and according to Montana Department of...

Ordinarily, a roundup on the Morgan ranch would happen in the fall. Jim and Sandy Morgan, along with Sandy's parents, Connie and Bruce Malcolm, and perhaps a few neighbors, would head into the hills behind the red butte south of Bridger and bring in the cows and their calves. They would trail behind the cows and check out the bulky calves, admiring the traits for which their Black Angus herd is known. But this week, the roundup came early, at the end of a two-month ordeal that began with the discovery that seven of the Morgans' cows had brucellosis, a...

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., told law enforcement officials Friday in Billings that he will continue to use "mongooselike tenacity" to secure funding for drug enforcement in Montana. Baucus, who was honored at a luncheon attended by about 30 area drug enforcement officers and agents, said he heard their message that they need more personnel and continued full federal funding. The tenacity, Baucus said, requires him to keep after leaders of various federal agencies and "just grab ahold of 'em until they say, 'Hey, let's do it and get this guy off our back.' "

HELENA - Gov. Brian Schweitzer has raised slightly more than $600,000 for his 2008 re-election campaign and reported having about a record $500,000 left in the bank on June 30, a report filed Thursday showed.... As of June 30, Schweitzer's campaign showed an ending fund balance of $506,505, which his campaign claimed to be a record amount of cash on hand for a candidate for governor at this stage.

WASHINGTON - Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg will not challenge Montana Sen. Max Baucus in 2008, the state Republican party announced Thursday. In a statement issued by the GOP, Rehberg said he will not be a candidate for Senate or governor next year. "Speculation to the contrary only serves as a distraction from the strong candidates that Montana Republicans will field for each of these important races," Rehberg said. "I remain completely focused on my job as Montana's congressman."