In Tuesday's national elections, Montana's two senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester along with its one Representative, Denny Rehberg, were re-elected.
According to the State of Montana official election results on the state website, the Democratic party extended its power base; it now controls offices of the governor, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the superintendent of public instruction, and the state auditor. You have to go way back to 1848 for similar, lop-sided, one-party power in Montana.
Regardless, the Montana Democratic count in the legislature diminished somewhat due to Republicans winning a majority of the seats vacated due to term-limits. The House looks like it will come out at a balance of 50-50, and the Senate looks as though it will be 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats.
According to the Council of State Governments: Two of the three ballot measures, Ballot Issue I-155 and LR-118, passed; the third, C-44 lost:
- C-44, which lost, would have allowed "up to 25% of all public funds presently restricted to fixed income investments to be invested in private corporate capital stock and provides an immediate effective date."
- I-155, which won Will "allow up to 25% of all public funds presently restricted to fixed income investments to be invested in private corporate capital stock and provides
an immediate effective date." - LR-188, which won, Will now "provide for the continuation of a 6-mill levy to support the state university system. The current 6 mill levy is set to expire in January 2009. This would allow it to effectively continue through January 2019."
It's interesting to note that Montana's Land Board, made up of the aforementioned offices, makes land decisions on all state logging and state oil leases, and Montana's educational system, among other agencies, counts on the proceeds from leasing state land to logging, oil, farming, ranching, and other private operations.
giving you the advantage...®
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