Bullock continues to lead field in money race

HELENA — Attorney General Steve Bullock continues to lead in the money race among the field of candidates seeking the governor's office, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

Bullock's supporters gave him another $100,000 in the first two months of the year, and he rolls toward the June primary as the presumptive nominee for the Democrats with about $440,000 in the bank.

On the Republican side, former Congressman Rick Hill maintained his advantage in that primary by totaling $350,000 in his campaign coffers, according to the latest campaign finance reports released late Monday. He raised about $70,000 over the first two months of the year.

Former state Sen. Ken Miller, of Laurel, a social conservative vying hard for tea party support, has been attacking Hill as "a former liberal Republican Congressman" in fundraising emails and touting his 31 years of faithful marriage. The aggressive tactics still left him far short of Hill in fundraising over the last two months.

Miller collected about $30,000 from individual contributors, but buoyed his effort with a large loan from himself to total about $65,000 over the last two months. Miller reported about $70,000 on hand.

Former state Sen. Corey Stapleton, of Billings, holds about $150,000, as a crowded GOP field heads toward a June primary showdown. The financial adviser who is trying to court both conservatives and Main Street business Republicans gave his campaign about half of the $40,000 in new money it collected in January and February.

Former counterterrorism expert Neil Livingstone, who has moved back to his home state after a long career in Washington D.C., had less than $10,000 in individual contributions from Montanans. But he did buoy his campaign effort with another $32,500 of his own money to leave the campaign with about $17,000 in the bank.