Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.
Montana attorney general election, 2012
 Montana's 2012 elections: • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • Ballot measures |
The Montana attorney general election took place on November 6, 2012. The primary election took place on June 5, 2012. Election day polling hours were from 6 am until 6 pm.
Attorney General of Montana Steve Bullock (D) decided to vacate his seat in order to run for the Governor's office in 2012. His absence left Montana Department of Labor attorney Pam Bucy, and former Congressman Jesse Laslovich to face-off against one another for the chance to represent the Democratic party on the general election ballot in November.[1]
Two candidates filed for the Republican primary. The first was State Senator and former Montana Rep. Jim Shockley of Victor. The second, Helena lawyer Tim Fox, ran for the same office in the 2008 election; he won the 2008 Republican primary but ultimately lost - to outgoing attorney general Bullock - in the general election by a narrow margin.[2]
Bucy (D) and Fox (R) prevailed in their respective parties' primaries on June 5, 2012, and they faced-off in the general election in November[3]. With Fox's win, he became the first Republican elected to the position in Montana since Marc Racicot - who subsequently ascended to governorship - was elected attorney general back in 1988.[3]
General
| Attorney General of Montana General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Pam Bucy | 46.3% | 218,228 | |
| Republican |  Tim Fox |
53.7% | 252,916 | |
| Total Votes | 471,144 | |||
| Election Results via Montana Secretary of State. | ||||
Primary
| Montana Attorney General Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tim Fox |
57.8% | 70,239 |
| Jim Shockley | 42.2% | 51,343 |
| Total Votes | 121,582 | |
| Election Results Via: Montana Secretary of State | ||
| Montana Attorney General Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Pam Bucy |
50.5% | 42,035 |
| Jesse Laslovich | 49.5% | 41,148 |
| Total Votes | 83,183 | |
| Election Results Via: Montana Secretary of State | ||
General Election Candidates
Primary Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
Bucy is a former deputy chief attorney general and current Administrative Council for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. She ran on her record of representing the state before the Supreme Court on cases dealing with issues like cybercrime and elder abuse. Bucy also appealing to women voters as an advocate of abortion rights and ensuring women's access to contraception and basic healthcare services under threat by legislative efforts like the mandatory ultrasound bill.[4]
Former State Senator and State House Rep Jesse Laslovich's campaign focused on his commitment to responsibly develop the state's natural resources to create job opportunities without harming the environment. He also pledged to use his legislative experience to ask for additional resources to address the growing need for more law enforcement officers in eastern Montana. Laslovich also said he wanted to create an embezzlement registry that would enable employers to check prospective hires for a history of illicit business practices.[5]
Republican primary candidates
State Senator and former State Rep. Jim Shockley campaigned on his record fighting illegal immigration and the legalization of medical marijuana as a congressman, as well as his fierce opposition to Obamacare.
Helena lawyer Tim Fox was the 2008 Republican nominee for attorney general. In his second bid for the office, Fox's goals included blocking "federal intrusion into Montana state sovereignty," by defending gun rights and joining with other states in battles to strike down the federal healthcare reform law which mandates individuals’ purchase of health coverage.[6]
General election
| Attorney General of Montana | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response | Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (September 17-19, 2012) | Public Policy Polling (October 8-10, 2012) | Mason-Dixon Polling & Research (October 29-31, 2012) | Average | ||||||||||
| Tim Fox | 46% | 45% | 48% | 46.33% | ||||||||||
| Pam Bucy | 37% | 35% | 42% | 38% | ||||||||||
| Undecided | 17% | 20% | 10% | 15.667% | ||||||||||
| Number polled | 625 | 737 | 625 | 662.33 | ||||||||||
| Margin of error | +/-4.0 | +/-3.6% | +/-4.0% | 3.87% | ||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | ||||||||||||||
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The Commissioner of Political Practices administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
|
For the primary election:
|
For the general election:
|
Candidates
Pam Bucy
| Pam Bucy Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 31, 2012 | $24,062.35 | $5,376.00 | $(11,593.75) | $17,853.60 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $17,583.60 | $11,688.25 | $(14,578.01) | $14,693.84 | ||||
| July Monthly | July 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| August Monthly | August 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $17,064.25 | $(26,171.76) | ||||||||
Jesse Laslovich
| Jesse Laslovich Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary #1 | May 31, 2012 | $35,542.05 | $2,530.00 | $(22,810.03) | $15,262.02 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $15,262.02 | $2,390.00 | $(17,652.02) | $0.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $4,920 | $(40,462.05) | ||||||||
Tim Fox
| Tim Fox Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 31, 2012 | $6,582.03 | $6,735.00 | $(10,240.19) | $3,076.84 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $3,076.84 | $7,795.00 | $(6,184.09) | $4,687.75 | ||||
| July Monthly | July 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $14,530 | $(16,424.28) | ||||||||
Jim Shockley
| Jim Shockley Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-primary | May 31, 2012 | $2,764.07 | $7,340.00 | $(6,119.25) | $3,984.82 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $3,984.82 | $1,099.90 | $(4,027.13) | $1,057.59 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $8,439.9 | $(10,146.38) | ||||||||
Outside spending
A major spender in the campaign was the Republican State Leadership Committee Inc., which is based in Washington D.C.. The group purchased over $580,000 in television and radio ads in support of Tim Fox (R).[7]
Campaign sites
Democrats
Republicans
Campaign Advertisements
Pam Bucy
|
Jesse Laslovich
|
Jim Shockley
|
Articles
- Election preview: No challengers for Montana's incumbent state executive officials March 13
- Election preview: No primary challengers for Montana's incumbent state executives June 4
- Election aftermath: Two state executive races in Montana still too close to call June 6
See also
External links
- Montana Secretary of State Elections Page
- Montana Department of Justice
- Politics1-Guide to 2012 Montana elections
- The Missoulian "Attorney general primaries top Montana's statewide races," May 20
- The Missoulian, "Candidates background battle defines Democratic Primary for AG," May 24
References
- ↑ The Missoulian, "Tim Fox announces bid for montana GOP nomination as AG," March 9, 2012
- ↑ Helena IR, "Fox files for attorney general race," March 9, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helena IR, "Bucy wins Demo AG race: faces Fox in November," June 6, 2012
- ↑ Pam Bucy for Attorney General, "Women for Bucy," accessed May 22, 2012
- ↑ Jesse Laslovich for Attorney General, "The Issues," accessed May 23, 2012
- ↑ Ravalli Republic "Helena lawyer Fox files to run for Montana attorney general as Republican," March 9, 2012
- ↑ Missoulian, "National Republican committee spends $580K on ads in Montana AG race," September 18, 2012
 |
State of Montana Helena (capital) |
|---|---|
| Ballot Measures |
List of Montana ballot measures | Local measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | Initiative laws | History of I&R | History of direct democracy | Campaign Finance Requirements | Recall process | |
| Government |
Montana State Constitution | House of Representatives | Senate | Commissioner of Political Practices | Legislative Services Division | Legislative Auditor | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Director of the Department of Revenue | State Auditor | Superintendent of Public Instruction | Commissioner of Securities and Insurance | Director of Agriculture | Director of Natural Resources and Conservation | Commissioner of Labor and Industry | Public Service Commission | |
| Judiciary |
Montana Supreme Court | Supreme Court elections | District Courts | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | |
| Transparency Topics |
Public Records Act | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of School Districts | |
