Marc F. Racicot

Marc F. Racicot, former Montana governor and attorney general, Bush reelection chairman, and former head of the Republican National Committee, in June 2005 became "the new head of the American Insurance Association, which represents 435 major property and casualty insurance companies."

Racicot is the founding Co-Chair, United States Consensus Council Roster for Search for Common Ground.
 * Director, Plum Creek

Profiles
In January 2002, Racicot was nominated by President George Walker Bush and was "unanimously elected Chairman" of the Republican National Committee. 

Racicot was a two-term Montana governor ending in 2001. He then served as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman from January 2002. Racicot "is valued by Bush's aides for his calm manner on television. He plans to spend about half his time at his law firm, Bracewell & Patterson, then take a leave next year to join Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. full time.

"Racicot, who gave up lobbying as RNC chairman, said he will not lobby in his new post. He planned to lobby as RNC head but agreed not to a month after he was named in December 2001. That followed criticism that his clients would have special access to the administration. ...

"Racicot said his legal work consists of corporate projects that do not involve the government. He said he will remain on the boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., MassMutual Financial Group and Siebel Systems Inc."

According to his RNC biography, "Governor Racicot has a distinguished record of public service that spans nearly three decades. He served as Montana's governor (1993-2001) - winning reelection with 79 percent of the vote in 1996, the largest winning percentage for a governor in Montana's history and the largest winning percentage for any governor that year.

"As governor, Racicot sought to improve government efficiency and bring government services closer to its owners, the people. He favored reducing government wherever possible and eliminated two executive departments. He worked with Montana's legislature to eliminate a $200 million deficit in 1993 and helped to produce a $22.4 million budget surplus in 1995. The governor's office staff was reduced to approximately half of the 1977 levels. While reducing the size of government, Racicot was also able to more than double the proportion of women appointed to office in Montana, increasing the proportion from 20 to 41 percent.

"Prior to being elected governor of Montana, Racicot served as a prosecutor in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Army (1973-1976), as deputy county attorney for Missoula County (1976-1977), as assistant attorney general and special prosecutor for the state of Montana (1977-1988) and as attorney general (1988-1992).

"Throughout his career, Racicot has strongly committed himself to children and community issues. He is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service and Jobs for America's Graduates.  He has also served on the Board of the United Way of America and as chairman of America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth, where his predecessor was Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.

"Racicot earned a bachelor's of arts in English from Carroll College and a juris doctorate from the University of Montana Law School in Missoula."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * conspiracy to violate state election code
 * Ed Gillespie
 * House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
 * Jack Abramoff
 * Tom DeLay

External articles

 * Jim Larson, "Dems target Racicot," The Billings Outpost, April 21, 2005.
 * "Tom DeLay and the RNC: For the Love of Money," dnc.org, September 16, 2005.
 * George Ochenski, "The ties that bind - Marc Racicot learns he’s got mail," The Missoula Independent, April 5, 2007.