Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he wouldn’t take sides in the Democratic primary for Montana’s U.S. Senate seat in which his former lieutenant governor and former adjutant general are squaring off. But he wouldn’t stop there either. Instead, he readily took credit for what has become an intra-party dispute.
“I guess I’m responsible since I plucked both of them from obscurity,” Schweitzer told the D.C. publication Roll Call. “To ask me to pick favorites is like asking a father to pick his favorite son.”
To be fair to Schweitzer’s adopted children, 77-year-old John Bohlinger was elected three times to the Montana House of Representatives and twice to the state Senate as a Republican before joining the former governor’s ticket. Bohlinger is now a Democrat.
And before being tapped as Schweitzer’s adjutant general, John Walsh, 53, worked for the Montana National Guard for 30 years, served in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star. He now serves as the lieutenant governor under Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.
Sen. Jon Tester already endorsed Walsh. Tester and Sen. Max Baucus, who is vacating his seat next year, hosted a fundraiser for him in Washington, D.C. Bohlinger criticized both senators, calling them “D.C. insiders” and told the Missoulian, “They should have no business trying to influence an outcome of an election here.” In many ways, Bohlinger has been as outspoken as his former boss, including his explanation for why he changed parties.
While Bohlinger has long been accused of being a RINO (Republican in name only), he said the reason he switched parties was the recent government shutdown. But he didn’t stop there. He compared the Tea Party to the Taliban and the shutdown to terrorists’ attacks.
It’s reminiscent of the colorful language Schweitzer once used in office when chiding his opponents. But that’s where the similarities end. While several high-profile Democrats urged Schweitzer to run for Senate, they are also asking Bohlinger to drop out of the race, at least according to Bohlinger. He told KXLH that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked him not to run. Bohlinger refused.
Nonetheless, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is already backing Walsh and most in the party think he will raise enough money to earn a fairly easy primarily victory. Schweitzer disagrees and argues Bohlinger has a shot at the nomination. “If the [primary] were held today, John Bohlinger would win 2-to-1 over John Walsh,” Schweitzer told the National Journal.
Either way, Democrats have a primary they didn’t really want as they try to retain a seat targeted as a prime pick-up opportunity for the GOP. Regardless of who wins, they face an uphill battle against Congressman Steve Daines, who has more money, better name recognition and a friendlier political environment as the 2014 elections approach.
For his part, Schweitzer is off to Iowa next month to deliver the keynote speech to a progressive group there as speculation swirls that he is laying the groundwork to run for president in 2016.
“I’m excited to return to Iowa and have a conversation about how progressive values are American values,” he said in a statement. “It’s important that we cut through the nonsense going on in Washington and remember that in Iowa and Montana, we take care of our neighbors and we look out for each other.”
It will be curious to see if Schweitzer hits the Montana campaign trail with similar vigor as the Democratic primary shakes out. Because whoever is that party’s nominee will need all the help they can get.