Montana Governor Won't Run For Re-Election

Damn! Republicans seem to be a little smarter when it comes to bowing out when they are politcally finished. Montana's statehouse will now likely stay Republican. Karl Rove's bullying tactics at work again.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,94644,00.html

HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Judy Martz (search), whose first term has been besieged by missteps and dismal popularity among voters, said Wednesday she will not run for re-election next year.

At a news conference, Martz said she wanted to spend more time with her family and insisted that her sagging popularity was not a factor in her decision. Recent polls have shown her approval rating at about 20 percent.

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I mean, what did she do, murder people on TV?

1) She has said a lot of idiotic things on the record, for instance this widely publicized quote:

Judy Martz has extolled her husbands virtues, including the fact that he never beat her, "but then again," she said, "I never gave him any reason to."

2) Her cabinet members have made illegal fundraising solicitations from government offices. This has caused many cainet members to resign, and Judy has not been able to fill the positions no matter how hard she tries.

3) She bought land from Arco at considerably below market value.

4) The grandaddy of them all is this: Her cheif of staff was driving with the former state House speaker as a passenger. The cheif of staff was drunk, and he crashed the car, killing the House speaker. Martz was seen at the hospital with her cheif of staff, seen ordering the state troopers out of the room, and then seen leaving. After this meeting with Martz, her cheif of staff had a new story: amnesia. Additionally, Martz had her cheif of staff stay at the governor's mansion that night AND SHE WASHED HIS BLOODIED CLOTHES.

They've both gotten off almost scott free, and a lot of people are pissed.

she needs a break!

after what they did to the Montana Power Company is a fucking mystery to me.

Is any Democrat up there saying: Hey, see the remnants of the Montana Power Company? that happened because of crazy GOP deregulation schemes. Look who voted for the freakin' thing!

Absolutely ridiculous that the people of Montana would continue to vote GOP after that catastrophe.

Brian Schweitzer, the dem running for Governor. I think he's going to win in 04, but Martz dropping out has made the race a lot tougher.

Weird but true story. I was in Great Falls a couple of weeks ago. I was standing in line to get in to the demolition derby at the State Fair with my wife and son. Schweitzer walked up to us and introduced himself, shook our hands, and asked where we were from. Well, we're not from Montana, but I would have voted for the guy. Seemed really genuine. We didn't know who he was until later. I did say to him that I would like to see Gov. Martz defeated, not knowing he has a good chance. I hope he makes it.

I see he is spearheading computerized "election reform" as Secretary of State.... http://sos.state.mt.us/css/News_Releases/05_13_2003.asp

well I know in 2002, we used scan-tron ballots, which work perfectly fine AFAIC. If we spend even more money on touch screen ballots, I think there will be an outcry, BBV concerns aside.