Democrat Tyler Gernant Announces Congressional Campaign
by jhwygirl
Tyler Gernant, an attorney out of Missoula, has officially announced his campaign for U.S. House of Representatives – you know, that seat held by Dennis “It’s only pork when others vote for it, but I can still take credit for it” Rehberg?
His website is up, and here’s his announcement video:
Check him out. I’m all about having more choices which naturally leads to better choices. Who doesn’t like fresh choices that have new ideas?
Gernant is the second Democrat to enter the race for U.S. House of Representatives. Dennis McDonald, chair of the Montana Democratic Party, recently officially announced his intentions to run, after whispers which began even while Jim Hunt was actively running in 2008 against Rehberg.
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April 5, 2009 at 8:31 pm
How are you certain he’s a Democrat? No where on his website is it stated. Just that.
April 5, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Um, his contribution page isn’t on a secure server, either.
April 8, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Ok, he’s updated his contribution page so it’s on a secure site now. I feel better. ;-)
April 9, 2009 at 6:00 am
It was fixed by that next morning, JC…your comment probably brought it to his attention.
April 5, 2009 at 9:36 pm
doesn’t exactly wow me. mcdonald doesn’t either…what else we got???
April 5, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Three “issues.” I mostly agree with what he’s saying on those three issues, but…
And yes, how are you sure he’s a Dem?
April 5, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Pretty sure he’s a Democrat….
April 5, 2009 at 11:04 pm
He seems earnest, but he didn’t have much to say beyond platitudes.
April 6, 2009 at 10:34 am
He says he wants to help all Montanans.
Lead by example Tyler.
Help grandma start the weedeater.
April 6, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Communications in a partisan election financed by a candidate or a political committee organized on the candidate’s behalf must state the candidate’s party affiliation or include the party symbol.
Otherwise, a candidate breaks the law.
April 6, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Goof — you’re citing state campaign finance law. Federal elections, like those for U.S. House, are governed by federal campaign finance law, which has no such provision.
April 6, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Thanks goof and Matt.
I thought I killed the thread.
April 7, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I think if Montanans are voting on jobs and the economy, Gernant’s combination of narrative, his experience, and the issues he’s running on create a powerful combination.
Paint Rehberg as a man who’s done more for his own personal wealth than the average Montanan while in office, and you’ve got Gernant as the average Montana who can go to bat with the GOP on tax issues…
I think that’s pretty good. I like him.
April 7, 2009 at 2:58 pm
i would prefer betsy hands.
April 7, 2009 at 11:56 pm
You all know the toxicity of Helena. Stammering platitudes is fine. Being from California is not.
Best option so far, which is why the GOP will turn out the vote for McDonald in the primary.
April 8, 2009 at 9:07 pm
With all do respect Mr. Klems, and there is alot of it, by “turn out the vote for McDonald in the primary,” do you refer to the negative story planting him on McDonald in statewide press the morning of his announcement at Mansfield Metcalf? Or do you refer to them having their opposition researcher Selphishly hang out at gatherings like forward montana and various central committee meetings dropping bombs about McDonalds’ ties to mafioso clients and other unmentioned research he dug up on him this summer? Or perhaps, you refer to the GOP’s opposition trackers already filming McDonalds’ public speeches?
We may just disagree on how the GOP goes about ‘turnout.’ I don’t see them tracking Gernant or dumping paid staff on oppo jobs for ammunition to hit him with.
April 8, 2009 at 9:21 pm
By tracking and trashing McDonald, they’re giving him name recognition which is quite valuable. It’s actually priceless – and a very good commodity especially for the primary. Most will make their choice as best-know-Republican and best-known-Democrat. Others will vote for the one that the team they hate dislikes the most.
At the same time, it’s going to cost McDonald some $ – answering to all the crap they’re going to attempt to throw at him….and with that, again, McDonald gains name recognition.
Klemz is right…the GOP is already working to turn out the vote for McDonald…at least for now.
April 8, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I see your point. Name rec is something that the GOP may have an interest in controlling. I guess we disagree about what GOTV and turnout means. I see this GOP tom foolery on McDondald as a message operation designed to orchestrate narrative contrast. (It was put into motion months before a peep came from Gernant). McDonald wants to talk farm, they want him talking california attorney. Contrast. You cant orchestrate contrast on a candidate who has no name rec… so you are on to something.
GOTV/turnout, to me, is defined strictly as a field operation and does not even appear until the final weeks of the campaign and is in no way connected to a message operation.
Anyhow, I see your point. There is good to be had for them by working with a known and the name rec theme makes some sense. They have the ability to draw contrast.
I also would like everyone to know that I have a yellow belt in Judo and that I am dangerous.
Dangeroussssss.
April 8, 2009 at 9:27 pm
still, more: Rehberg’s people might not like to have Denny go up against someone like Gernant. Surely there’s plenty of ammo sitting down deep in the basement on Denny – and plenty of stuff that isn’t even locked in a closet.
Kinda hard to whack on someone like Gernant…..
With McDonald they got a known, and both can sling the shit back and forth. With Gernant, the GOP is on the losing end of that type of battle. They’d then have to rely on experience and record. Experience v. Tester got them what? That leaves record.
And just where is America now?
Gernant is not as bad, strategerywize, as some might think.
April 8, 2009 at 9:40 pm
i agree that rehberg is ripe for defeat. this is why i am amazed that mcdonald and gernant is the best we can come up with.
i don’t have anything personally against either of them. if either one of them ends up being the choice against rehberg in 2010 i will gladly vote for either one. i am just a little disappointed in these choices so far. seems like we could do a lot better. we really need to get rid of rehberg. his record of cheerleading and rubberstamping for bush’s failed policies are an embarassment to montana.
we need a winning candidate to defeat rehberg.
i would like to see some more samples please???
April 8, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Moving to Montana from California is an absolute bar to being elected to statewide office? I hope not. Perhaps in the past, but now? I wonder what percentage of voters today emigrated to Montana.
April 8, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I think yes. The key word here is California, not emigrated. I’m also not stating it’s right — only true.
April 8, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Add to that “trial lawyer” from California, and you’ve got some serious handicap to overcome. Not saying it can’t be done.
But the Dems really need to put up a good home-grown candidate to go after Denny. Gernant seems to fit that bill, though he is young and inexperienced, and a political unknown.
If he’s going to be taken seriously, he really needs to get out and start beating the pavement, and letting people know who he is. Or else he’s just another young politician looking to get some name recognition for some future endeavors.
April 10, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Well, I think it is ‘true’ in the same sense that it is ‘true’ that a black man could not be elected President.
April 8, 2009 at 4:24 pm
i honestly think the only one who can defeat rehberg would be an independent or a fairly conservative democrat from east side of the divide….
i think so far, mr “LL Bean cowboy outfit” mcdonald and gerbil boy are wasting everyone’s time…
April 8, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Problembear, that’s just silly name calling.
At least offer a plausible reason why he can’t win. Remember how Jon Tester looked before the primary? Not exactly senatorial material. Remember the black-marker scribbled t-shirts and the rusty rig tour across the state? Or how about the combine-chopped hand?
I see you offer alot of salt-of-the-earth workin man kinds of comments here on the blog, which makes me think Gernant might actually appeal to you. Perhaps it’s his age? Old timers who’ve let their better days and potential pass might have a hard time voting for a guy who’s already a tax attorney by his mid-twenties and running for congress. Is that the real issue problembear?
Personally, I like both, but I just don’t get the labelling and name calling. You’re smarter than that aren’t you?
April 8, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Experience. Tester was forged to a fine edge in the mt legislature.how smart is judomon?
Glad you are pleased. Now go work for him.it will give you good experience, meanwhile rehberg must be thrilled to have such stiff competition.
April 9, 2009 at 7:35 am
Yeah, problembear experience counts, but you weren’t dogging him on his experience, you were calling him a gerbil look alike. I also thought that was uncalled for.
Some would say Gernant has experience where it counts… on the tax issue. Tester widened his shrinking lead over Burns in the final two weeks of 2006 race by shifting his message to attack burns on taxes. Seems like Gernant has the credibility to do the same thing because of his legal experience.
April 9, 2009 at 11:02 pm
go ahead and work for him then if you are so impressed. i prefer to withold my support for anyone until i see someone capable of unseating rehberg. i don’t see any signs of a potential tester in gernant….at all.
and i have no confidence in mcdonald.
i think rehberg is vulnerable if we can get realistic and come up with someone good to run against him. otherwise, it is a wasted opportunity.
go ahead and buy in if he’s your guy. i want to shop around for awhile. and i think this is the perfect opportunity for the right woman candidate….
April 10, 2009 at 9:55 am
I wonder if Carol would become the next Lois Capps (though Pat’s still alive, fortunately)?
April 13, 2009 at 12:09 am
I have talked with Tyler several times, and he has impressed me greatly. Its time that we have House members who actually understand tax codes and get that money doesn’t grow on trees. We need a fiscally smart, socially progressive voice for Montana to complement Senators Baucus and Tester. And knowing Tyler’s background interning for Max Baucus and other Democrats should prove his political bona fides are rooted in the Democratic Party.
Mark my words: Tyler’s going to hit the ground hard this spring and prove that youthful energy and pragmatic idealism is just what this state needs.
April 13, 2009 at 11:17 am
Well, it’s spring, and if he’s going to do some proving, he’d better get at it. You don’t just jump into a congressional race as a youngster and give some potshots, and then retreat to huddle up. You get killed that way.
You throws your hat in the ring, you gotta step out when the bell rings or you get a TKO. “Hitting the ground hard” may or may not be a good thing. I’d a rather he had hit the ground running when he made his announcement. Otherwise, Denny’s and big Mac’s oppo teams will have plenty of time to make mincemeat out of him.