Gianforte Officially Launches Campaign for Montana Governor
He is running to become the first Republican governor in Montana in more than a decade
By Molly Priddy
BILLINGS — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte put an end to the speculation and announced Wednesday that he is running to become the first Republican governor in Montana in more than a decade.
The Bozeman businessman revealed his bid on his website before a campaign appearance in Billings, the beginning of a two-day tour of the state to make his case against re-electing incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.
His announcement makes clear that he aims to focus his message on improving wages.
“I’m running for governor because we owe it to every Montanan who wants to come home, and to our children, to create opportunities so they can raise their families here in Montana,” Gianforte said in a video.
Gianforte, who sold his company, RightNow Technologies, to Oracle in 2012 for $1.8 billion, is widely considered the favorite to represent the GOP against Bullock. First, he will have to beat fellow Republican Brad Johnson, a former Montana secretary of state and now the Public Service Commission chairman, in the June 7 primary.
Gianforte has a clear fundraising advantage over Johnson, who has raised just $1,500 since announcing his exploratory campaign last year. Gianforte, by contrast, has raised more than $570,000.
He has been exploring a run for months, after filing paperwork that has allowed him to raise and spend money since August. Democrats have been preparing for Gianforte’s entry into the race since then. They expect a spirited campaign that could garner national attention as Democrats try to hold on to a governorship in a generally conservative state.
A Republican has not been governor since one-term Gov. Judy Martz left office in 2005.
Democratic operatives have tried to script a narrative that portrays Gianforte as an outsider who does not represent the values of most Montanans. Bullock’s campaign has repeatedly referred to Gianforte as a “New Jersey multimillionaire,” a theme they hope will resonate among voters in a mostly poor, rural state.
Gianforte’s campaign has countered that the businessman was raised in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and has lived in Montana for about two decades.
He planned to make campaign stops Wednesday in Sidney, Lewistown and Kalispell. He planned to appear Thursday in Great Falls, Helena, Missoula and Bozeman.