How could the Missoulian talk about major Montana elected officials from Missoula and forget former Mayor Richard Shoup and former deputy county attorney Marc Racicot (“Missoula rep tough for local candidates,” Dec. 23)?
Congressman Richard Shoup, a longtime Missoula businessman, alderman 1963-67 and mayor 1967-70, broke the powerful Democratic hold on Senate and Congressional offices by defeating Butte’s Arnold Olson in 1970. Olson had been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for several terms, and he challenged Shoup for a rerun in 1972 with Shoup winning again.
In coming years, Congressman and now-Sen. Baucus continued relating to the common working man by dropping into various communities and working at regular jobs right beside the people who performed those jobs everyday. In the mid-’80s I was a plywood shift superintendent for Champion International in Libby when Baucus came to work in my layup crew. This was a very hard, strenuous job, and Baucus gained the respect of all as he continued to “pour it on” through the shift. As Baucus came back to Montana and performed these jobs, he often received favorable articles and photos in the Missoulian.
This was in stark contrast to treatment Shoup received by his hometown newspaper. Shoup was deeply involved in writing legislation impacting the survival of the railroads, both freight carriers and Amtrak, which were vital to Montanans. During one of his frequent trips to Montana, Shoup bought a ticket and boarded the passenger train in Billings, visited station agents, passengers, and train crew while enroute to Missoula. He got off the train at the depot just a block or two from headquarters of the Missoulian, which totally ignored the trip. They called it a political campaign stunt. I remember the disappointment I felt as Shoup’s press secretary, even though the Billings Gazette and Great Falls Tribune covered the congressman’s trip with photos and articles.
The Missoulian ignored him then, and it ignored him in the Dec. 23 article. Then the article wondered why Missoula has a liberal reputation. Part of the reason may be the treatment afforded Shoup, as well as a number of other Republican candidates and office holders, by this newspaper.
I also recall that Racicot, former Montana attorney general and governor who in 1996 won that office with the largest margin in history with 80 percent of the vote, had some Missoula connections. Racicot graduated from the University of Montana Law School in Missoula in 1973, served three years in the U.S. Army and returned to Missoula as deputy county attorney for Missoula County in 1976. Racicot went on to head the National Republican Committee.
Both Shoup and Racicot were moderate, middle-of-the-road guys with support from both sides of the aisle.
I hope this piece helps to set the record straight and to give well-earned credit to the late Richard G. Shoup. He was fair and honest and a loyal friend. He was a loyal supporter of President Nixon right up to the end. Nixon called Republican officials together to give them the news just before he resigned. Shoup returned to the office devastated and told the staff that his loyalty had been deceived. Nixon had been lying to everyone during the Watergate investigation.
Mike Cuffe writes from Eureka.
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