BILLINGS, Mont. — Bozeman tech mogul Greg Gianforte announced his candidacy for governor Wednesday in Billings and, if elected, will improve Montana's economy and donate his salary to scholarships. I promised.
His story is similar to that of former tech guru Doug Burgum, who is running for governor in neighboring North Dakota, also a Republican, for an open seat. It is something.
Gianforte's announcement, made at a Peterbilt repair shop, spoke about incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and eastern Montana's economic challenges, including crumbling infrastructure, federal regulation of coal-fired power generation, and an exodus of Montana's youth. was clearly aimed at.
“Montana needs new leadership,” Gianforte said. “On top of the jobs lost, we have a governor who has failed to provide essential infrastructure. In Culbertson, single-family water bills are already $1,200 a year. It has increased by 18%.
“But while the governor has failed on infrastructure, government spending has steadily increased. He has increased it by 20% in just three years. Imagine what he would do if he had four more. please try.”
This is the first time in 16 years that a Republican has won a gubernatorial election in Montana. Crowds packed into the mezzanine of the repair shop's upper warehouse liked what they heard from Mr. Gianforte, the most powerful political Trump, who focused on job creation.
Gianforte founded RightNow Technologies, a software company in Bozeman about 20 years ago. RightNow software allows governments and businesses to answer frequently asked questions online. The company swelled to 1,200 employees, and in 2012 he sold it to Oracle for $1.8 billion.
Oracle maintained these jobs in Bozeman after the acquisition. A number of Bozeman technology startups were born out of this sale, as former RightNow employees who owned Bozeman stock cashed out and started businesses.
“I think he's exactly what we need in Montana, which ranks 49th in jobs and wages,” said Roy Brown, a former Montana congressman who ran against incumbent Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer in 2008. Told. With him at the helm, we can really make a difference. It's always difficult to challenge an incumbent, but the incumbent has done nothing but make things worse. ”
When Mr. Brown challenged Mr. Schweitzer, the incumbent received nearly 67 percent of the vote. Mr. Schweitzer's approval ratings leading up to the election were daunting.
But Mr. Bullock's numbers are not as strong as his predecessor's, which is why Republicans like Mr. Gianforte's chances. In 2012, Bullock won in a three-way race with 47% of the vote, with conservative third-party candidates gaining the votes needed to defeat Republican Rick Hill.
A poll released last month by Montana State University Billings showed Bullock's approval rating was about 50%. If the poll has a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points, the governor's approval rating would be close to the voter approval rating he saw in Bullock's first gubernatorial race in 2012.
“I thought the message about leadership, not just managing, but setting the direction you want to achieve, was a hot button for me,” said Donald Starhan, manager of the equity group. “I think there are some issues that we have to deal with. We have to face reality about some things and if we don't achieve it, we have to take responsibility for it.”
At the top of Gianforte's list of challenges was Montana's pending response to the federal Clean Power Plan, which calls for significant reductions in carbon emissions. Montana is expected to develop an initial regulatory response by September, which could result in the closure of some of the Colstrip plant in the future.
Earlier this month, Mr. Bullock appointed a committee to make recommendations for compliance with the Clean Power Plan.
Gianforte never mentioned his main Republican opponent, Brad Johnson, chairman of the Public Service Committee and former Montana secretary of state. Similarly, Democrats are squarely targeting Gianforte.
On Tuesday, Buzzfeed, an online publication aimed at a national audience, highlighted the $1.1 million Gianforte donated to religious organizations that oppose the non-discrimination rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. I guessed it.
Gianforte previously opposed Bozeman's anti-discrimination ordinance.
On Monday, Governor Bullock selected a Bozeman coffee shop as the setting for a new executive order expanding the state's anti-discrimination policy to include gender identity, pregnancy and military service. He told reporters he respects the principles of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Mr. Gianforte's literalist interpretation of the Bible and donations to Christian causes have become a focus for Democrats. The candidates did not address these criticisms in their announcements.
