After spending a little more than a year as Helena's mayor, Wilmot Collins is considering a run for statewide or federal office.
Collins said Wednesday he is thinking about running for Montana governor, U.S. Senate or U.S. House, but he is not "limiting himself."
"All of those things are being considered," he said.
Collins declined to say whether he would run as a Republican or Democrat, adding "I'm exploring as an American."
Collins defeated incumbent Jim Smith in the nonpartisan election for mayor in 2017, and he took office in January 2018. His personal story of coming to the United States as a Liberian refugee before becoming Helena's mayor has garnered national media attention.
In the race for governor, several Republicans have already begun to jump into the primary fray. Attorney General Tim Fox and Secretary of State Cory Stapleton, both Republicans, have already declared they are running, and the pool will probably continue to grow. On the Democratic side, much is uncertain, though Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney is expected to soon declare himself a candidate.
The 2020 Senate race is shaping up to be a complicated one for Montana Democrats, who don’t have a particularly strong bench or obvious candidate to put up against Republican Sen. Steve Daines.
You have free articles remaining.
Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock has made clear he’s not interested in the Senate seat as he explores a presidential bid. Bullock has formed a political action committee that’s paid for hiring staff in the key state of Iowa and funded his travel there several times.
National party leaders like U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York and minority leader in the Senate, have tried to push Bullock toward a run against Daines as part of an effort to flip control of the Senate.
Asked about the Democrats’ options if Bullock doesn’t want the seat, party Executive Director Monica Lindeen said last month it’s still too early to say.
"We have a lot of opportunities in Montana, and it's early,” Lindeen said. “Right now, there are a lot of conversations going on about what makes the most sense and how to take advantage of those opportunities with the many Democrats who are interested in running for office in Montana.”
A recent Big Sky Poll from the University of Montana found that about 67 percent of Montanans have a good or fair view of Daines, while 23 percent rank his performance as poor and 19 percent as excellent.
At the 2019 Lewis and Clark County Republican Central Committee Lincoln Reagan Dinner, Daines said his own re-election could decide the makeup of the Senate. “Whoever wants to challenge me, bring it on,” he said.
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion.
(15) comments
To Matt Cahill: It's true, I didn't know about the housing plans Mayor Collins is attempting to implement. I hope he succeeds and if he does, it would be a positive for future political ventures. I do know about airbnb. It could never be forbidden, but rules could be implemented, much as they are in other locations. Registration fees, a taxation system for built-to-purpose airbnbs.
Hadar Goldin, your right on this, Wilmot shouldn't be Helena's Mayor in that he ran illegally and the Judge that swore him in participated in an illegal act in doing so...!
I thought he was going to solve the Helena affordable housing crisis. I don't believe he has done that. In fact, it's gotten far worse; sky-rocketing rents, homes taken out of circulation by "investors" (usually realtors) whose idea of investing is raise the rent and do as little as possible to maintain the property. The proliferation of airbnb is cutting into available housing stock. The idea of him running for the US Senate as a republican, democrat, or libertarian is quite amusing.
So that was supposed to happen over night, was it Mercedes (think this is a MOB account too)? He's supposed to reverse the course of the real estate boom and housing costs with a magic wand?
In fact, he has made real efforts that these issues...the only issue is dopes like you pretending this is an over night issues. There are several housing initiates under way to build low income housing between advocacy groups like HH4H and local builders. The new Housing Is Healthcare working groups is under way as of last month working towards a Supportive Housing plan that has traditionally shown significant savings for those in housing distress while improving housing stability issues within towns/cities.
What if Wilmot did something drastic like put a rent ceiling on properties by square foot in the city...? Or outlaw AIRBNBs.? Of course then you'd be screaming that he was a communist and dictator and beetching to high heaven too.
At least be honest and admit you don't care about the housing issue even slightly - you just want to pretend he hasn't done something so you can use against him...irregardless of the facts.
Montana, especially Montana Democratic party, need a fresh perspective. He has my vote.
Who is the idiot who asked him if he's going to run as a Dem or Rep? That is hilarious!
this guy has zero chance. He would be a gift to the Republicans. I say run Wilmott, outside of your liberal circle here, nobody knows you, delusions of grandeur.....
Ah Michelle O Brian, who's ALWAYS WRONG and on the WRONG SIDE of EVERY ISSUE, just gave Wilmot the kiss of Life. Any time MOB hates you, you are on the right side and have a good chance to win.
Somebody should ask Dan Moore if he still believes Wilmot's lack of complacency contributed to racists waiting swastikas on his house and other attacks.
And matt plays the race card again.
Okay. List off his accomplishments as Mayor in the past year that would make him a quality candidate for statewide or federal office. He would be much better served by developing a record of accomplishments he can point to.
I realize this is a pathetically low standard of comparison, but Collins has more governing experience and decades more military service than our current president did when he was elected.
I think this just points to how dedicated Jim was to the citizenry of Helena versus his replacement.
Maybe he thinks he can do more good in a different capacity. Just because you take care of your kids doesn't mean you can't help someone else's if you can. Stop being a sore loser.
I'm not a sore loser, I liked both candidates. And Jim Smith had nothing but good things to say about Wilmot during the election. I just think if you take an oath of office for an important position like this, it behooves you (for both your constituents and future reputation) to stick it out for a while.
Wilmot wasn't a citizen of Helena for a year before running. he ran illegally as he lived at Fox Ridge. Thomas Jodien the city attorney knows this and does nothing.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.