Marc Racicot

Marc Racicot
21st Governor of Montana
In office January 3, 1993 – January 1, 2001
Lieutenant	Denny Rehberg Judy Martz
Preceded by	Stan Stephens
Succeeded by	Judy Martz
59th Chairman of the Republican National Committee
In office 2002–2003
Preceded by	Jim Gilmore
Succeeded by	Ed Gillespie
Personal details
Born	July 24, 1948 (1948-07-24) (age 63) Thompson Falls, Montana
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Theresa Racicot
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic

Marc F. Racicot ( /ˈrɑːskoʊ/; born July 24, 1948) is a U.S. politician and lobbyist and member of the Republican Party. He was the governor of Montana from 1993 until 2001. After leaving office, Racicot worked as a lobbyist for the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani. His notable clients included Enron, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and the Recording Industry Association of America.^[1][2] He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2002 until 2003, when he was appointed as the chairman of the Bush re-election campaign. In 2000 as well as 2004 he was rumored to be Bush's choice for Attorney General. During the 2000 election some saw him as a possible running mate for Bush.^[3] The Washington Post has described him as "one of Bush's closest friends and advisers".^[4]

Early life

Racicot was born in Thompson Falls, Montana and raised in Miles City and Libby.

Public sector

Prior to being elected governor of Montana, he served as a prosecutor in the Army JAG Corps (1973–1976), as deputy county attorney for Missoula County (1976–1977), as assistant attorney general and special prosecutor for the state of Montana (1977–1988) and as Montana attorney general (1988–1993). Racicot received an undergraduate degree from Carroll College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Montana.

Governor

In 1992 incumbent Governor Stan Stephens declined to run because of health problems. Racicot then competed with Democrat Dorothy Bradley of Bozeman. With taxes the main campaign issue, both candidates calling for a 4 percent sales tax but differed on how to spend such a tax. Racicot edged out Bradley, 51–49 percent.

In 1996 Racicot ran for reelection against long-time state legislator Democrat Chet Blaylock. Polls showed that Racicot maintained a sizable lead over Blaylock during the campaign.^[5] A few weeks before the election however, Blaylock unexpectedly died of a heart attack on the way to a debate.^[5] Reluctantly, his little known running mate, Judy Jacobson continued the drive but had little time to launch her own campaign. Because the election was so near, the voting ballots could only be changed to show Jacobson running for both governor and lieutenant governor. In one of the largest margins in state history, Racicot beat Jacobson, 79%–21%.

As governor, Mr. Racicot approved legislation that deregulated the utility sector in Montana. This legislation was sought by the Montana Power Company, the major utility supplier in the state. Following passage, the Montana Power Company divested itself of its utility operations and became a telecommunications company. The company filed for bankruptcy a few years later. The final result of this sweeping deregulation of Montana's utilities was a drastic rise in rates for most of the power customers in Montana.

Private sector

Racicot served as President of the American Insurance Association (AIA), an insurance industry lobbying group^[6] from June 13, 2005^[7] to February 1, 2009.^[8]

He serves as a current board member for Jobs for America’s Graduates and the Board of Visitors of University of Montana School of Law, and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a division of which is AmeriCorps. He has also served on the Board of the Lewis & Clark County United Way, and is a past chairman of America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, where his predecessor was former Secretary of State Colin Powell. He is a director of Massachusetts Mutual Life Association and a former partner at the Texas-based law firm Bracewell & Giuliani.

References

1. ^ Lewis, Charles (December 20, 2001). "The GOP's New Lobbyist in Chief". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A3911-2001Dec19. Retrieved July 23, 2011. 
2. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Marc Racicot". Great Falls Tribune. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers3/racicot.html. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
3. ^ Jeffrey St. Clair: Marc Racicot, Bush's Main Man
4. ^ 2000 Presidential Election
5. ^ ^{a b} "Montana Candidate Dies Before Debate". New York Times. October 24, 1996. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E2DF1230F937A15753C1A960958260. 
6. ^ www.aiadc.org/AIApub/
7. ^ www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2005/06/13/55908.htm
8. ^ www.aiadc.org/AIAdotNET/docHandler.aspx?DocID=318741

Electoral history

Montana Gubernatorial Election 1992
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Marc Racicot	209,401	51.35
	Democratic	Dorothy Bradley	198,421	48.65

Montana Gubernatorial Election 1996
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Marc Racicot (incumbent)	320,768	79.17
	Democratic	Judy Jacobson	84,407	20.83

Political offices
Preceded by Stan Stephens	Governor of Montana 1993–2001	Succeeded by Judy Martz

Persondata
Name	Racicot, Marc
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 24, 1948
Place of birth	Thompson Falls, Montana
Date of death
Place of death