HELENA – Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock said Wednesday that to see what kind of governor he’d make, just look to what he’s done as the state’s top lawyer.
Bullock said he aims to build on his track record, as well as the successes of popular Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
“I have been doing a lot of good work, but there is also a lot more to do,” Bullock told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday before formally kicking off his campaign. “I do really think we are at a crossroads and the people we elect and the decisions they make are going to make a real difference for the future of Montana and the kind of Montana our kids are going to grow up in.”
The Democrat entered the governor’s race Wednesday with high name identification as a statewide officeholder and plenty of money in campaign coffers. Bullock launched a series of statewide events with an evening event in Billings.
But the other Democrat seeking the nomination, state Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman, made it clear he will remain in the race. And Republicans who had been expecting Bullock’s announcement attacked his record.
Bullock, who has championed tougher drunken driving laws and a crackdown on prescription drug abuse, said his specific plans for the governor’s office will unfold over the next 14 months.
“I have been doing a lot of good work, but there is also a lot more to do,” Bullock said. “I do really think we are at a crossroads and the people we elect and the decisions they make are going to make a real difference for the future of Montana and the kind of Montana our kids are going to grow up in.”
Bullock, 45, did say that Schweitzer has done a good job in tough economic times and demonstrated a Democrat can run a tight ship and be fiscally prudent. Schweitzer is prevented by term limits from running again, opening the door for Bullock to seek the office.
“There are things we can do to build on that and there are certainly things we can do differently,” Bullock said.
The top Republican fundraiser in the race, former congressman Rick Hill, said if the battle comes down to he and Bullock, it will show a clear contrast of philosophies. Hill touts tax cuts, smaller government and other conservative proposals.
Hill pointed to the development of the Otter Creek coal tracts, which Hill supported back in the 1990s when he was in Congress.
Bullock, as a member of the state Land Board, was in favor of leasing the coal tracts to Arch Coal until the price was cut in pursuit of a deal. Bullock, arguing the state should have held out for more money, opposed the deal to lease an estimated 572 million tons of coal for $86 million and future royalties. It was backed by Schweitzer and others on the panel.
“I’m a strong advocate of energy development in Montana, and I think Otter Creek shows a clear contrast,” Hill said. “I think his suggestion that he is in favor of energy development is sort of a campaign conversion.”
Bullock said it is wrong to portray him as an opponent to Otter Creek development. He pointed out that his office is defending the deal in court from lawsuits environmentalists filed in hopes of blocking the coal extraction.
“I did think, and I do think now, that we were selling our resources for less than we should have,” Bullock said.
Bullock told supporters who gathered at the Billings Depot Wednesday evening for his campaign’s kickoff that Montana “should responsibly develop the resources we have, including leading the way to American energy independence and a clean energy future.”
The crowded Republican field also includes former state senators Ken Miller and Corey Stapleton, security consultant Neil Livingstone, and Choteau county commissioner Jim O’Hara.
Jent, a former Army officer, isn’t backing away from the high-profile primary challenge from Bullock and said Democratic primary voters will look beyond the amount of money raised. But Jent said he expects to be “competitive” when new fundraising figures come out next month.
“The money thing isn’t all of it. Certainly people are going to look at two aspects: They are going to look at fundraising, and they are going to look at passion,” Jent said. “I’m the right choice because I have the right background and because I think people are looking for leadership and decisiveness.”