HELENA – State Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula says he is running for governor in 2012, when current Gov. Brian Schweitzer will be leaving office.
Wanzenried has been a top Democrat in the Legislature and helped chart bipartisan working relationships when he was in leadership in the House.
The former truck driver was Gov. Ted Schwinden’s chief of staff and state labor commissioner in the 1980s. More recently he has worked in marketing in the trucking industry while serving in the Legislature.
On the Republican side, Former Congressman Rick Hill and former state Sens. Ken Miller of Laurel and Corey Stapleton of Billings have entered the race.
Schweitzer faces term limits and can’t run again.