Gianforte taps Phillips County commissioner as running mate

Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte has picked Lesley Robinson, a county commissioner from Phillips County, to be his running mate in November's election.

Gianforte revealed Robinson, a longtime rancher, as his choice for lieutenant governor during an event at Helena Farm Supply in East Helena Monday.

"She's got the work ethic you'd expect from a Hi-Line rancher." Gianforte said in his announcement. "And she's a strong leader with a servant's heart."

Following the event, the two formally filed the paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office for the two to appear on June's primary ballot.

If elected, Robinson will be the third woman to hold the office of lieutenant governor, following in the footsteps of eventual Gov. Judy Martz, a Republican elected in 1996, and Angela McLean, who was selected by Bullock to fill a vacancy in 2014. McLean resigned earlier this year.

Gianforte, a hi-tech entrepreneur and millionaire from Bozeman, has traversed the state since officially declaring his candidacy in January.

Despite the low overall unemployment rate, Gianforte has made Montana's lack of high-paying jobs the bedrock of his bid to deny Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, a second term in November's general election.

Biographical information supplied by the Gianforte campaign said Robinson is the fourth generation of her family to grow up in Phillips County.

She was born and raised in Malta. Since 1985 Robinson and her husband, Jim, have lived and worked on a ranch near Zortman that has been in Jim's family since the 1950s.

Robinson has been on the Phillips County Commission since being elected in 2005. She served as president of the Western Interstate Region Board, a group of counties from Montana, Alaska, Hawaii and 12 other states within the National Association of Counties. She was elected western region representative on NACo's executive board in 2015 and serves as vice chair of the NACo public lands committee.

Robinson has testified before the Montana State Legislature regarding the relocation of bison on public land. She spoke before the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee during a field session in Billings about endangered species.

In her announcement speech, Robinson described Gianforte as "a humble man who wants to serve this state and the people," and echoed hisfrustration with state government.

"As someone who has been active in testifying before the Legislature and dealt with state agencies, I can assure you that rural Montana issues are being ignored," Robinson said. "The state is not listening to the people on the ground."

Unlike past governors who have often relegated their lieutenant governors to the sidelines, Gianforte said in an administration with him at the helm Robinson would have a major role, especially in rural communities.

"Agriculture needs a voice in Helena, which it has sorely lacked," he said later in a call with the press.

Gianforte said wants to use Robinson's more than a decade of experience in county government to help foster a closer relationship between the state and governments at the county and municipal level.

Democrats wasted little time in responding to news of Gianforte's choice, saying the two's shared vision would serve to reverse gains made during Bullock's time in office.

"While Montana's economy is strong and getting stronger and we are rated as the most fiscally prudent state in the country, they are promising reckless tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and would turn our budget surplus into deficit," Jason Pitt, spokesperson for the Montana Democratic Party, said in a press release