"First of all, I know some of you have this question on your mind, so I want to answer it for you ahead of time: I am not delusional," the Republican told supporters at the start of his speech he was giving in a multi-city tour Thursday. "I really do think that we can win this race. But, I can't do it alone and I've got to have each and every one of you believing we can do this together."
Brown, a 56-year-old retired oil man from Billings first elected to the Legislature in 1998, said he can get people excited about his vision for the state over the next year.
Brown said he needs to raise about $1.6 million to be competitive, assemble a campaign staff, find a running mate - and topple an incumbent who so far has had relatively high approval ratings during a time of economic growth for Montana.
Brown sought to take credit for the economy from Schweitzer, a Democrat, by saying it was the tax cuts made by Republican lawmakers - like himself - in the 1990s and early 2000s that spurred the economy.
And Brown said he promises more tax cuts if he gets elected, including reductions in property and business equipment taxes.
Schweitzer, pointing to tax credits and rebates in his term, says he has cut more taxes than any previous administration. He has said the vote next November will be based on whether or not Montanans like the job he is doing.
Brown's stump speech casts Schweitzer as a spender who has used the state's prosperity to "mastermind" unprecedented growth in state government.
"That dog don't hunt, given the facts," Schweitzer responded.
The governor says Republicans are inflating the spending by counting such one-time initiatives as the $400 tax rebates as spending - and offers a very different calculation of how much state spending has increased.
Schweitzer said ongoing spending obligations under his tenure are less than some increases seen as recently as 2001 under Republican leadership.
Democrats have already have started portraying Brown as a Republican responsible for messes they say Schweitzer has to clean up, like a projected $32 million deficit in an old worker's compensation fund. Brown fought back Thursday by pointing out many Democratic lawmakers and members of Schweitzer's own administration supported a decision by the 2003 Legislature take $22 million from the fund to balance the state budget.
Brown is the first Republican to announce a challenge to Schweitzer. The Montana Republican Party said it is not aware of other candidates considering a run at this point.
Brown, who was a Republican leader in the House before he ran for the Senate, said he will be starting a 10-day tour next week of 50 Montana cities.
Brown, married with three children, said he promises a clean campaign without personal attacks. At the same time it appears he will be taking some swipes at an incumbent who likely needs to be reduced in the eyes of the public if he is to be considered vulnerable.
"If you want a work horse, and not a show horse, then I am your man," Brown told supporters, reporters and onlookers at an event in Helena.
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