Gotta wonder why.
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer won’t seek Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2014, a blow to Democrats‘ hopes of holding the seat and preserving their overall Senate majority.
The popular Democrat, who left the governor’s office in 2013 after two terms, told the Associated Press that he “kicked the tires” on the race but decided he preferred Montana to Washington.
I’m being sarcastic, of course. Because there’s probably a reason why nowhere in that LA Times article is this mentioned:
A political organization with close ties to former Gov. Brian Schweitzer funneled over $300,000 to a Washington, D.C.-based dark money group in 2010. The organization that gave the money away, a so-called 527 group named Council for Sustainable America (CSA), appears to be run by Franklin Hall, a former senior aide to Schweitzer. The money from CSA was sent to the American Sustainability Project (ASP), a 501(c)(4) group that claims an address in downtown Washington, D.C.
The 2010 donations — totaling $306,779 — raise questions about whether ASP is a shell group created to hold money on Schweitzer’s behalf.
Funny how that got overlooked, huh?
Anyway, this announcement achieved tactical surprise: nobody was really prepared for it. That is not necessarily proof that Schweitzer had a bagman, but it does suggest that speculation along those lines is not unfair. Maybe not prescient, but definitely not unfair.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: A lot of groups are reassessing the Montana Senate race now. Schweitzer out makes it harder for the Democrats to hold their Senate majority.
I figured he wouldn’t run anyway, he seems to have Presidential Aspirations. As I see it the GOP WILL pick up Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia, and likely will pick up Arkansas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, and Virginia are all competitive with at least one falling GOP, and don’t forget Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan.
I can see the GOP gaining the Senate even if McConnell loses or McCain pulls a Jim Jeffords.
Though VA is getting concerning with all this “Giftgate” crap.
How is it that Jay Nixon in Missouri has somehow survived breaking the Law, but a few unreported Gifts is killing McDonnell?
Cause he has an R after his name? By the way anybody else noticed that there seems an awful lot of fruits and vegetables on the plants this year? Reference to an old legend, but it seriously looks like my pear tree might break from all the fruit.
There is talk over at Red State (cross post) about who
should run on the GOP side and the abysmal rino
Racicot (roscoe) was mentioned. That looser would be of the
same type of politician as Boehner. He will do whatever the
powers that be around him do to get ahead personally.
Cory Stapleton, YES. Marc Racicot, NO.