It looks like Mike McGrath is in. The man who won his second term as Attorney General while uncontested is the first announced candidate for chief justice.
McGrath goes into this the prohibitive favorite. He is well-respected, has solid fundraising ability, and is popular in the state. Plus he just has high name ID. Anyone looking to mount a challenge will definitely think twice.
On top of that, McGrath will no doubt be a good chief justice. The job of the chief justice is to be a justice, which McGrath will likely do well, and oversee the administrative end of the court. McGrath has managed fairly large operations and comes in with a background that will be helpful.
This one took me by surprise. Chief Justice Karla Gray has announced she will not run for re-election. Who will run for Chief Justice? Good question.
Up to this point, I'd heard a couple rumors, but I doubted most of 'em because my impression was that Karla is pretty well-respected in Montana and would be tough to beat for re-election.
But now that it's an open field, let the speculating begin. I've heard two names for a race like this, not that I can come close to confirming either one of them -- Mike McGrath, our current Attorney General, and Terry Trieweiler, a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
Any other names come to mind? Any current Associate Justices who might roll the dice?
