Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Montana Attorney General election, 2012
2016 →
|
| Montana Attorney General |
|---|
 |
June 5, 2012 |
November 6, 2012 |
| State executive official elections in 2012 |
The Montana attorney general election took place on November 6, 2012. The primary election took place on June 5, 2012. Election day polling hours were from 6 am until 6 pm.
Attorney General of Montana Steve Bullock (D) decided to vacate his seat to run for the Governor's office in 2012. His absence left Montana Department of Labor attorney Pam Bucy and former Congressman Jesse Laslovich to face-off against one another to represent the Democratic party on the general election ballot in November.[1]
Two candidates filed for the Republican primary. The first was State Senator and former Montana Rep. Jim Shockley of Victor. The second candidate, Helena attorney Tim Fox, previously ran for attorney general in the 2008 election. He won the Republican primary that year but was defeated by outgoing Attorney General Steve Bullock in the general election.[2]
Bucy (D) and Fox (R) won their respective parties' primaries on June 5, 2012, and they faced off in the general election in November[3] Fox defeated Bucy in the general election. With Fox's win, he became the first Republican elected to the position in Montana since Marc Racicot was elected attorney general back in 1988.[3]
Election Results
General
| Attorney General of Montana, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tim Fox |
53.7% | 252,916 | |
| Democratic | Pam Bucy | 46.3% | 218,228 | |
| Total Votes | 471,144 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Primary
| Montana Attorney General Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Tim Fox |
57.8% | 70,239 | ||
| Jim Shockley | 42.2% | 51,343 | ||
| Total Votes | 121,582 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State. | ||||
| Montana Attorney General Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Pam Bucy |
50.5% | 42,035 | ||
| Jesse Laslovich | 49.5% | 41,148 | ||
| Total Votes | 83,183 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State. | ||||
Candidates
General Election Candidates
Primary Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
Bucy is a former deputy chief attorney general and Administrative Council for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. She ran on her record of representing the state before the Supreme Court on cases dealing with issues like cybercrime and elder abuse. Bucy also appealed to women voters as an advocate of abortion rights and ensuring women's access to contraception and basic healthcare services under threat by legislative efforts like the mandatory ultrasound bill.[4]
Former State Senator and State House Rep. Jesse Laslovich's campaign focused on his commitment to responsibly develop the state's natural resources to create job opportunities without harming the environment. He also pledged to use his legislative experience to ask for additional resources to address the growing need for more law enforcement officers in eastern Montana. Laslovich also said he wanted to create an embezzlement registry that would enable employers to check prospective hires for a history of illicit business practices.[5]
Republican primary candidates
State Senator and former State Rep. Jim Shockley's campaign website emphasized key issues such as law enforcement, opposition to Obamacare, gun rights, illegal immigration, and medical marijuana reform.[6]
Helena lawyer Tim Fox was the 2008 Republican nominee for attorney general. In his second bid for the office, Fox's goals included blocking "federal intrusion into Montana state sovereignty," by defending gun rights and joining with other states to challenge the federal healthcare reform law that required individuals to purchase health insurance.[7]
Polls
General election
| Attorney General of Montana | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Tim Fox | Pam Bucy | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Research (dead link) (October 29-31, 2012) | 48% | 42% | 10% | +/-4.0 | 625 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (October 8-10, 2012) | 45% | 35% | 20% | +/-3.6 | 737 | ||||||||||||||
| Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (September 17-19, 2012) | 46% | 37% | 17% | +/-4.0 | 625 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 46.33% | 38% | 15.67% | +/-3.87 | 662.33 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The Commissioner of Political Practices administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
|
For the primary election:
|
For the general election:
|
Candidates
Pam Bucy
| Pam Bucy Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 31, 2012 | $24,062.35 | $5,376.00 | $(11,593.75) | $17,853.60 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $17,583.60 | $11,688.25 | $(14,578.01) | $14,693.84 | ||||
| July Monthly | July 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| August Monthly | August 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $17,064.25 | $(26,171.76) | ||||||||
Jesse Laslovich
| Jesse Laslovich Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary #1 | May 31, 2012 | $35,542.05 | $2,530.00 | $(22,810.03) | $15,262.02 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $15,262.02 | $2,390.00 | $(17,652.02) | $0.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $4,920 | $(40,462.05) | ||||||||
Tim Fox
| Tim Fox Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 31, 2012 | $6,582.03 | $6,735.00 | $(10,240.19) | $3,076.84 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $3,076.84 | $7,795.00 | $(6,184.09) | $4,687.75 | ||||
| July Monthly | July 10, 2012 | $ | $ | $() | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $14,530 | $(16,424.28) | ||||||||
Jim Shockley
| Jim Shockley Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-primary | May 31, 2012 | $2,764.07 | $7,340.00 | $(6,119.25) | $3,984.82 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 25, 2012 | $3,984.82 | $1,099.90 | $(4,027.13) | $1,057.59 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $8,439.9 | $(10,146.38) | ||||||||
Satellite spending
A major spender in the campaign was the Republican State Leadership Committee Inc., which is based in Washington D.C.. The group purchased over $580,000 in television and radio ads in support of Tim Fox (R).[8]
Campaign Sites/Media
Campaign sites
Democrats
Republicans
Campaign Advertisements
Pam Bucy |
Jesse Laslovich |
Jim Shockley |
News
- Election preview: No challengers for Montana's incumbent state executive officials March 13
- Election preview: No primary challengers for Montana's incumbent state executives June 4
- Election aftermath: Two state executive races in Montana still too close to call June 6
Articles
- Election preview: No challengers for Montana's incumbent state executive officials March 13
- Election preview: No primary challengers for Montana's incumbent state executives June 4
- Election aftermath: Two state executive races in Montana still too close to call June 6
See also
External links
- Montana Secretary of State Elections Page
- Montana Department of Justice
- Politics1-Guide to 2012 Montana elections
- The Missoulian, "Attorney general primaries top Montana's statewide races," May 20
- The Missoulian, "Candidates background battle defines Democratic Primary for AG," May 24
Footnotes
- ↑ The Missoulian, "Tim Fox announces bid for montana GOP nomination as AG," March 9, 2012
- ↑ Helena IR, "Fox files for attorney general race," March 9, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helena IR, "Bucy wins Demo AG race: faces Fox in November," June 6, 2012
- ↑ Pam Bucy for Attorney General, "Women for Bucy," accessed May 22, 2012
- ↑ Jesse Laslovich for Attorney General, "The Issues," accessed May 23, 2012
- ↑ Jim Shockley's 2012 campaign website, "On the issues," accessed August 7, 2025
- ↑ Ravalli Republic, "Helena lawyer Fox files to run for Montana attorney general as Republican," March 9, 2012
- ↑ Missoulian, "National Republican committee spends $580K on ads in Montana AG race," September 18, 2012
 |
State of Montana Helena (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |