Dennis Rehberg
Republican Candidate: Montana's
At-Large Congressional Race

Former Lieutenant Governor Dennis Rehberg is the GOP nominee for Montana's lone House seat. Incumbent Republican Rep. Rick Hill is retiring, and in Rehberg Republicans feel they have a strong candidate whose views match the values of the state.

Rehberg's last political foray ended in defeat. In 1996 he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Max Baucus. But the race was Baucus' tightest re-election ever - he won by just a 5-point margin even though he outspent Rehberg by more than 3 to 1. Before that loss, Rehberg served as Montana's lieutenant governor. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Stan Stephens to fill a vacancy in 1991, and then elected under Gov. Marc Racicot in 1992. Since losing his Senate bid, Rehberg, 45, has managed a cattle and cashmere goat ranch near Billings that has been in his family for five generations.

Earlier in his career, Rehberg served three terms in the Montana House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, defeating the sitting Republican Majority Leader to take one of the Billings-area seats. There he was the only freshman member on the House Appropriations committee. While in office he also worked on Rep. Ron Marlenee's 1986 campaign for the defunct 2nd congressional district seat, and on Conrad Burns' successful 1988 bid for the U.S. Senate. In 1989 Burns appointed Rehberg his state director and Rehberg left his state House seat the next year.

Before his stint in the legislature, Rehberg started working in 1979 for Marlenee in Washington, D.C. He focused on, among other things, Native American and small business issues. He also served as Marlenee's finance director and assistant campaign manager back in Montana. Previously, Rehberg worked in real estate and lobbied for the Montana Realtors Association.

Rehberg's political stances are conservative and he hopes to convince voters that his opponent, Nancy Keenan, is a bit too liberal for Montana. Rehberg boasts that in the state House, he helped balance Montana's budget without a tax increase. He supports eliminating the marriage penalty tax, and favors an immediate repeal of the estate tax over a proposed 10-year rollback. He opposes any new gun control.

Like presidential candidate George W. Bush, Rehberg opposes abortion and supports privatization of Social Security. Rehberg also agrees with Bush's claim that U.S. military readiness declined under President Clinton. Rehberg advocates increased military spending, including more for a missile defense system and says he will seek a seat on the Armed Services Committee. Rehberg eagerly ties his candidacy to Bush, saying "the Bush-Cheney team better reflects, as I always say, the values, principles and philosophies of Montanans. The same as I do."

Born and raised in Billings, Rehberg attended Washington State University on a gymnastics scholarship and graduated in 1977 with a degree in public administration and political science. He and his wife have three children.