Brian Schweitzer was elected governor of Montana in 2004 despite having no experience in politics. His plainspoken style made him so popular not only in Montana but nationwide that his name was bandied about for higher offices when his two terms as governor ended. But Schweitzer has always been a farm boy at heart, having been raised on a ranch near Geyser. So he has spent the ten years since he left office raising cattle and hay, as well as other business interests. Schweitzer’s approval rating at the end of his second term was around 65 percent, and he attributes that mostly to the fact that it was the last thing he was thinking about. He was much more interested in getting things accomplished.
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Episode Thirty-Six - Brian Schweitzer
russellrowland.substack.com
Episode Thirty-Six - Brian Schweitzer
Former governor of Montana
Sep 03, 2024
The State of Montana
Montana has a long history of very complicated politics, often influenced by major corporations, as with the Copper Kings in our early history, or oil money. But we also have a strong track record of very progressive milestones, the most significant of which was the election of the first woman to ever serve in Congress, Jeanette Rankin. We also have what most constitutional historians consider one of the strongest state constitutions in the country. We have always boasted a very significant balance of power as well, but recently that has changed, and I want to understand why, and what can be done about it. So I'm going to interview some of our more high-profile citizens, not necessarily politicians, to explore this issue. My first guest will be Dorothy Bradley, who was the first woman to run for governor of the state. Dorothy just barely lost to Marc Racicot in 1992.
Montana has a long history of very complicated politics, often influenced by major corporations, as with the Copper Kings in our early history, or oil money. But we also have a strong track record of very progressive milestones, the most significant of which was the election of the first woman to ever serve in Congress, Jeanette Rankin. We also have what most constitutional historians consider one of the strongest state constitutions in the country. We have always boasted a very significant balance of power as well, but recently that has changed, and I want to understand why, and what can be done about it. So I'm going to interview some of our more high-profile citizens, not necessarily politicians, to explore this issue. My first guest will be Dorothy Bradley, who was the first woman to run for governor of the state. Dorothy just barely lost to Marc Racicot in 1992. Listen on
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Episode Thirty-Six - Brian Schweitzer