Schweitzer: WH bid would ‘ruin my life’

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination would “ruin” his life — without ruling out the possibility he would make such a bid.

“I haven’t decided on that,” Schweitzer said during an appearance on MSNBC. “It would ruin my life.”

The former governor added that he had “a pretty good life in the private sector right now” and expressed concerns over the toll a run would take on his family.

“Take a look at what has happened to the president,” Schweitzer added.

Schweitzer has hinted in recent weeks that he’s considering a run, following an appearance at an Iowa dinner last month during which he criticized Democrats who voted to go to war in Iraq. The comment was seen as a dig at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is viewed as the favorite for the nomination if she opts to run.

{mosads}During an appearance on ABC News over the weekend, Schweitzer was asked if he was considering challenging her.

“Well, I’m looking around, but gosh, I like Iowa,” he replied.

Schweitzer said he thought he would fare well if he were to run during his appearance on “Morning Joe” on Monday.

“I cut more taxes than any governor in the history of Montana, invested more new money in education,” Schweitzer said. “If a Democrat is good with money, you can’t beat ’em… When you’ve got a Democrat like me who is good with money and Republicans have to admit it, they say, ‘Oh, we don’t want to run against him again.’”

Last year, Schweitzer flirted with a bid for Montana’s open Senate state, before ultimately deciding against a run for the post being vacated by Sen. Max Baucus (D).

“I love Montana. I want to be here. There are all kinds of people that think I should be in the U.S. Senate,” Schweitzer told the AP at the time. “But I never wanted to be in the U.S. Senate. I kicked the tires. I walked to the edge and looked over.”