Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
That’s what Politico is reporting. President Obama will nominate Sen. Max Baucus as our next ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. And if the Senate confirms Baucus, Montana Governor Steve Bullock probably would appoint his Lt. Governor, John Walsh, to replace Baucus in the U.S. Senate:
That would suck the air out of the campaigns of Walsh’s rivals for the Democratic nomination for Senate, Dirk Adams and John Bohlinger, and condemn Republican Rep. Steve Daines to running against an incumbent Senator instead of for an open seat.
None of this would surprise me. Democrats want to hold the Senate and can’t afford to surrender the seat Baucus now holds. Baucus may well be willing to inhale the foul air of Beijing instead of the sweet air of Bozeman. That would save him a cold turkey return to private life. One is reminded that Mike Mansfield accepted an appointment as ambassador to Japan after serving in the Senate, although he served his full term before moving to Tokyo.
Politically, this is a risky maneuver for Democrats because it is so obviously a political maneuver that’s designed to help John Walsh at the cost of depriving Montana of the benefits of Baucus’ seniority. Footwork that fancy may not sit well with many voters: see Nate Silver’s analysis of the subject (thanks to Don Pogreba at Intelligent Discontent for the link, which eluded me while I was writing this).
If Baucus does resign from the Senate to become ambassador to China, Bullock could appoint a distinguished elder statesman to serve the remainder of Baucus’ term: retired Rep. Pat Williams.