Bullock names Walsh to the U.S. Senate

Gov. Steve Bullock appointed Lt. Gov. John Walsh on Feb. 7 to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate.  Walsh, 53, said he’ll travel to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10 and be sworn in the next day.

Walsh, who is a Democrat running for the same Senate seat, will fill out the remaining term of Sen. Max Baucus, who will become the U.S. Ambassador to China. The Senate confirmed President Barack Obama’s nomination of Baucus in a 96-0 vote on Feb. 6.

Bullock joined Montanans and others in praising Baucus for his career in public service.

“I join all Montanans as we say congratulations and thank you to Max for his service to our state and nation,” Bullock said. “Max has dedicated his life to serving the people of Montana. From his role establishing the CHIP program and unyielding dedication to protecting Montana’s mountains and prairies, to his efforts to stop the privatization of Social Security, for the past 40 years, Max has been at the forefront of the most important debates impacting Montana and our nation.”

Sen. Jon Tester, who joined Baucus in the Senate in 2007, said that serving as ambassador to China will enable Baucus to continue in the footsteps of his mentor, former Montana Senator and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield.

“Max, I wish you the best,” Tester said. “And while you’re gone, I’ll keep up your fight on behalf of Montanans, particularly the Montanans who need someone to fight for them. That’s the Montana way. That’s the Max Baucus way.”

In a prepared statement, Bullock explained the process he used when selecting someone to fill Baucus’ seat in the Senate.

“I have been guided by the same core principles I considered in selecting my lieutenant governor,” Baucus said. “I wanted to appoint someone who I believed would represent the values Montanans hold important. I wanted to appoint someone who I believed would be working to find solutions, not further dividing our state and nation. And I wanted to appoint someone who I truly believed would wake up each day focused on putting Montana — and Montanans — first.”

Walsh thanked the governor in a press release and explained his goals in the Senate.

“As Montana’s lieutenant governor, I have had the opportunity to travel to every corner of our state,” Walsh said. “I talked with Montanans about the important issues facing our state. I have heard their message loud and clear: There’s a lot we need to fix in Washington. There are too many politicians who put their own political agendas ahead of doing what’s right. Too many folks who don’t take responsibility for their actions. That’s not how I work. That’s not how Montana works.”

Born and raised in Butte, the son of a union pipefitter, Walsh graduated from high school in 1979 and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He attended Carroll College and then earned a bachelor’s in science from the State University of New York, in Albany, N.Y., in 1990. He went on to the U.S. Army War College, in Carlisle, Pa., and earned a master’s in strategic studies in 2007.

Walsh enlisted in the National Guard as a private and rose in the ranks to become adjutant general, leading the Montana National Guard. As a battalion commander in 2004-2005, Walsh led more than 700 Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen to Iraq, in the largest deployment of the Montana National Guard since World War II.

Leading the I-163rd Infantry Battalion during combat operations in Iraq, Walsh earned the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman’s badge. The battalion was awarded the Valorous Unit Citation for outstanding performance in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Walsh retired from the National Guard after 33 years of service.

Walsh had filed to run as a Democrat for Baucus’ seat this year. Other Democratic candidates for the seat include former Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger and Dirk Adams, a rancher and attorney from Wilsall. Republican candidates for the seat include U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, of Bozeman, state Rep. Champ Edmunds, of Missoula, and David Leaser, an air traffic manager at Glacier Park International Airport.

Prior to his appointment by Bullock, Walsh said he wanted to work in the Senate to protect civil liberties and veterans benefits, as well as continuing Baucus’ work in passing the North Fork Protection Act and the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act. He also said he supported Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

In general, Walsh said he supported finding ways to reduce energy consumption and provide government incentives for companies developing renewable energy. He pledged to make efforts to reduce the federal debt, including military expenditures, while supporting an increase in the minimum wage and closing tax loopholes for large companies.

As for civil liberties, Walsh said he believes it’s better to help people with mental illness than to restrict gun ownership, and he wanted more done to stop the federal government from spying on its citizens. Not enough was being done to reform the National Security Agency, he said.

Walsh met his wife Janet while they were both enrolled in Carroll College. She has worked in public schools for 17 years. They’ve been married 29 years and have two sons, Michael and Taylor, a daughter-in-law, April, and a granddaughter, Kennedy.