Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer was expected to stir things up by jumping into the Democratic primary race to replace Sen. Max Baucus. 

That didn’t happen, but even when he announced, adamantly, that he wouldn’t be running for the Senate, Schweitzer still stirred things up in a big way. That’s just the way things go with our colorful ex-governor with his folksy charm and brash self-assurance. (Some people use other adjectives, but we are keeping it clean!)

Considering that Gov. Schweitzer would have presented a formidable challenge to any Republican candidate that may eventually emerge, his absence certainly does amount to good news for the GOP.

In fact, it’s safe to speculate that possible Republican contenders, including first-term U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, may have been discouraged from running for the Senate against Schweitzer.

But now it is a wide-open race that will be more interesting to watch unfold. By this fall, a full range of candidates should emerge for a very high-profile election that will be only about a year away.

To his credit, Schweitzer stuck with his often-repeated statements about his complete distaste for Congress and Washington, D.C., even though he has been heavily pressured to run by a “draft Schweitzer” movement that raised $48,000 for his candidacy. To this day, the movement continues to push for Schweitzer to reconsider his decision, but the former governor sounds pretty resolute.

“I don’t think they get anything done back there, and I’m a doer,” Schweitzer said, explaining his decision. 

That sounds very much like the Schweitzer we know, a person who doesn’t seem much like the legislative type. But the executive type? You bet, and in his coy way, he stirred the gossip pot about his future possibilities, referring to the early presidential primary states in a recent interview with Reuters.

“I hold the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in high regard,” he said. “If I were running for U.S. Senate, I’d be so goldarn busy I wouldn’t be able to get out and visit with my friends in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.”

Schweitzer has been regarded by some pundits as a potential dark horse candidate of the same stripe as Bill Clinton, who rose to the presidency after serving as governor of politically obscure Arkansas.

 With that in mind, we are looking at not only an exciting Senate race in Montana next year, but maybe a presidential race with big surprises in 2016.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.