Former Montana governor hints at 2016 presidential bid

HELENA, Mont., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, suggesting voters are tired of presidents named Clinton or Bush, hinted he may run for president in 2016.

In an interview with RealClearPolitics.com, Schweitzer, a Democrat, said he thinks his platform would play well in early primary states.

"I still hold the people of Iowa and New Hampshire in high regard," he said. "The people of Iowa are a whole lot like the people of Montana. And, of course, New Hampshire's a lot like Montana. We don't have a sales tax. 'Live Free or Die' -- we understand that notion in Montana."

The former governor said he thinks Americans are looking for something different.

"There's a whole lot of America that looks at each other and says, 'Well, there's 340 million people living in America. Isn't there somebody other than a Bush or a Clinton who can be president in these modern times? Isn't there hope for somebody who's running a business or who has served overseas or comes from a different occupation to become president? Are we now in the era of royalty again?' So I think there's some level of frustration about that," Schweitzer said.

Schweitzer was recruited by the Democratic Party in 2012 to run for Montana's open Senate seat in 2014, but opted to return to the private sector.