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Schweitzer on the Stump

By Kellyn Brown

Gov. Brian Schweitzer made an East Coast swing last week to stump for a pair of gubernatorial candidates, including failed Democratic primary hopeful Terry McAuliffe in Virginia. Inside the Beltway of Washington, D.C., the endorsement was considered a gamble and, when it didn’t pay off, Schweitzer was mildly panned.

Why would Schweitzer endorse McAuliffe for governor of Virginia when he was trailing so badly in the polls? After the former campaign manager for Hillary Clinton and Democratic National Committee chairman was crushed by state lawmaker R. Creigh Deeds, pundits began questioning the Montana governor’s motives for taking sides.

“One can’t help but wonder: What did McAuliffe promise Schweitzer?” asked NBC’s political reporters on the blog First Read. “Is this about Schweitzer’s national ambitions?”

For Schweitzer’s part, he moved quickly to stem the speculation. He told The Associated Press that he never expected his endorsement of McAuliffe to mean much and he wasn’t trying to raise his public profile.

The governor, after all, was just reelected last year – by a 2-1 margin – and has four years before he really has to think about his next job. And Schweitzer has downplayed his future prospects, even after national pundits touted him as a good fit to run the Department of Energy.

It does, however, appear that the governor is beginning to test his political clout, publicly campaigning for McAuliffe and incumbent New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. The latter was another gamble, since Corzine is an unpopular Democratic incumbent looking vulnerable in a traditionally Democratic state. Schweitzer’s sterling resume, which includes a rousing Democratic Convention speech and recent nomination as chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), could show some more blemishes if Corzine loses in November.

As First Read noted, “The first rule of being DGA/DCCC/DSCC chairman – if you endorse, you better make sure your guy wins.”

Schweitzer’s life after his governorship is still flush with opportunity for a man who, if he avoids political controversy, should enjoy wide appeal. He’s a Democratic governor from a red state, a moderate with an A rating from the NRA, an energy wonk with a knack for colorful colloquialisms.

In his speech on Corzine’s behalf he argued that the New Jersey incumbent’s opponent hasn’t even “run a lemonade stand” and – echoing his convention speech – told the audience that “if you don’t get off your hind end the Bushies and the Cheneys are going to come and try and get Jon.” He was his traditionally charming self. But again, during his East Coast swing, his mouth got him in a bit of trouble when he jokingly said supporters of McAuliffe’s opponents should “show up Thursday” to vote when the election was on a Tuesday.

In response to that comment, a Washington Post writer compared Schweitzer to Mike Huckabee, the Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor, who while supporting Virginia’s GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell encouraged his supporters (jokingly) to let the air out of the tires of those supporting McDonnell’s eventual opponent.

Schweitzer and Huckabee have more in common than that. They are both considered folksy, jocular and love to publicly rip the “culture” of Washington, D.C. It works to a point. It won Huckabee some southern states during the Republican presidential primary. It has prompted grassroots support for Schweitzer as a Democrat with infinite potential.

But that persona, coupled with more bad gambles, could begin to wear thin. Schweitzer, with his sights set on the future, should learn from Huckabee. Now a Fox News talk show host, Huckabee’s populist appeal faded after several missteps along the campaign trail that even his friend Chuck Norris couldn’t rescue him from. Who knows, maybe there’s a talk show on MSNBC in Schweitzer’s future.