Why Schweitzer Didn’t Run

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) said that he didn’t want to leave Montana to serve in the U.S. Senate but a source familiar with his decision told CNN Schweitzer “was beginning to recognize what senior Democrats in Washington had feared.”

Said the source: “The research book was getting worse by the minute.”

NRSC spokesman Brad Dayspring confirmed the same to Roll Call: “We did our homework and there was a lot of rust under Schweitzer’s hood — a LOT of rust.”

Meanwhile, Democratic sources tell The Hotline that “the amount of opposition research on the former governor painted a grim picture. A report in the Great Falls Tribune tomorrow will outline Schweitzer’s ties with a dark money organization, which may have been deeper than Schweitzer had let on.”