Montana Democrat Wins Senate Nomination on Medicare Drug Platform

HELENA, Mont. (June 7,00) -- Brian Schweitzer, a farmer and political novice, who made the high cost of prescription medicine the theme of his campaign, easily won the Democratic nomination  to challenge GOP Sen. Conrad Burns.

He  focused on the need for Medicare to pay for prescription drugs for senior citizens.

Schweitzer, who promised to embarrass Congress into doing something about the cost of medicine, orchestrated four bus trips of senior citizens to Canada and Mexico to get their prescriptions filled at up to half of what they would pay in the United States.

He defeated well-known political figure John Driscoll,  who challenged Democratic Sen. Max Baucus in 1990. Driscoll conducted his low-key pitch mostly through his Web site, and did little fund raising.


Burns, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary,  watched donations grow. At last count he had $3.5 million, almost five times the $710,000 raised by Schweitzer.