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ence to the Democratic ticket, a good thing to have in a state where 12 percent of the adult population consists of vet- erans. In March 2012, Walsh stepped down as Adjunct General to run for Lieu- tenant Governor. On Nov. 6, Bullock and Walsh were elected in a close race with just 48.9 percent of the vote. The two men assumed office two months later. Walsh quickly assumed the role of Lieu- tenant Governor and dedicated most of his time to, in his words, making Bull-
ock’s “rucksack just a little bit lighter.” The next several years would have likely been similar to his first as lieuten- ant governor had Sen. Max Baucus not retired in April 2013. Throughout the summer of 2013, the names of numerous potential candidates were floated, but each person, including former Gov. Sch- weitzer and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, declined to run. As the summer wore on, party mem- bers began to approach Walsh about
running. On Oct. 3, Walsh announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
Luck struck again for Walsh in De- cember when President Barack Obama appointed Baucus to be the next ambas- sador to China. The appointment meant that Baucus would have to step down early and Bullock would select someone to serve the remainder of his term. Soon after the news broke, Walsh approached Bullock and expressed his interest in replacing Baucus. On Feb. 9, Walsh was
LEFT: John Walsh, left, stands next to the Humvee he was riding in when it was targeted in an insurgent attack on Oct. 15, 2005.
RIGHT: Walsh is seen with his wife Janet and one of their sons in the early 1990s.
COURTESY PHOTOS
sworn in as U.S. senator.
Walsh won the Democratic primary
in June, but despite being the only sit- ting U.S. senator in the race, many polit- ical scientists believed he would strug- gle to beat Republican Congressman Steve Daines. Republicans tend to do better in midterm elections and Daines was raising more money than Walsh. In July the Republican had raised $3.6 million for the campaign versus Walsh’s $2.8 million. A poll released in early July
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