On the deadline for candidates to file for public office, a Democrat has been convinced to challenge incumbent Republican Tim Fox for the seat of Montana’s Attorney General.
Attorney and former State Senator Larry Jent from Bozeman didn’t decide until Sunday afternoon to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for the office of Attorney General.
He says he felt a duty to the state, the country, and the Democratic Party.
"That was the first thing, that sense of duty. And it is not just to be a candidate; I’m not interested in being a sacrificial lamb.”
Jent says running against an incumbent is challenging, but Tim Fox is not necessarily a hard-to-beat candidate. He says the AG office needs to move in a new direction.
“I think the focus of the Attorney General’s is more directed toward conservative causes than staying at home and taking care of business.”
Jent says he turned down the Democratic Party about six months ago when he was asked to run for the position of Attorney General.
But he said he received a very persuasive call from former democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer on Friday about running a campaign. Jent declined to discuss the details of that conversation.
As of his official filing Monday, Jent hasn’t raised any money for his campaign or registered with Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices.