Yesterday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed Lt. Gov. John Walsh to succeed Max Baucus in the U.S. Senate. This will give Walsh some seniority and a boost in both the primary and the general election.
He won’t technically be a senator until Monday, when he will be officially sworn-in. It won’t be hard to be a better senator than Max Baucus, but I honestly don’t know what to expect from Sen. Walsh.
As Senate priorities, Walsh said he would work to serve Montana’s veterans and their families, to responsibly cut spending and reduce the federal debt, to strengthen the national economy and create jobs as Bullock and he had done in Montana and protecting U.S. freedoms and liberties.
As for Senate committee assignments, Walsh said his top priority would be the Armed Services Committee. He said he also would be interested in committees that oversee commerce, transportation and agriculture.
As a veteran and former head of the Montana National Guard, I expect him to be interested in military affairs and taking care of those who have served in the military. I’m not too excited about him being another deficit scold, although that seems to be a feature of successful Democrats from that area of the country.
If “protecting U.S. freedoms and liberties” means reining in the NSA, then I am all for it.
His likely general election opponent is this guy, who we do not want to see in the Senate.
