Unlikely GOP Candidate Runs for Montana Senate Seat

85-year-old wants a British-style parliament
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 12, 2008 7:56 AM CDT
Unlikely GOP Candidate Runs for Montana Senate Seat
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is facing an unorthodox challenger for his seat this November.   (AP Photo)

Montana senator Max Baucus looks certain to win reelection this November, writes the New York Times, but his Republican challenger is gaining some attention for his unorthodox proposals. Bob Kelleher, 85, wants to nationalize oil companies, end the Iraq war to fund cancer research—and, most shockingly, eliminate the separation of powers and introduce a British-style parliament. "How did he win?" a Baucus spokesman wondered.

Kelleher has been a perennial candidate for decades in Montana, on GOP, Democratic, and Green tickets. But clinching the senatorial nomination surprised everyone—the state Republican chairman didn't even let him speak at their convention. And though he has only a $10,000 campaign budget and seemingly no chance, Kelleher is taking the race seriously: "I’m not going to have the quiet summer I thought I would."
(More Montana stories.)

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