HELENA — With a red carnation perched on his lapel and sprouting a small banner proclaiming ‘‘100 Days,'' Brian Schweitzer sat casually in his Capitol office and grinned. And why not? Montana's first Democratic governor in 16 years reached this landmark of his new administration with little to complain about.

He shrugs off Republican dislike of his personality and style, brags of his achievements and is pragmatic about his defeats during the legislative session that has dominated his young tenure.

Schweitzer is quick to share credit with lawmakers for his track record so far, making no distinction between Democrat and Republican.

‘‘It's been remarkable how much we've been able to accomplish and it's because those folks up on the third floor have been working together,'' he said.

Craig Wilson, who heads the political science department at Montana State University-Billings, said Schweitzer has reason for satisfaction.

‘‘He's gotten what he's wanted,'' he said, attributing the successes to Schweitzer's elaborate preparations for becoming chief executive.

‘‘You've got to have some ideas to start with, some policy proposals to start with,'' Wilson said. ‘‘You have to hit the ground running. He has some ideas to start with. He showed that coming out of the box.''

Schweitzer's successes are all the more remarkable in the face of GOP animosity, Wilson said.

‘‘Democrats elected a governor for the first time in 16 years and there were bad political feelings going into the session,'' Wilson said. ‘‘He won and Republicans are angry over reapportionment. They were mad about what happened from the beginning, were loaded up and wanted to take shots at the governor.''

Schweitzer readily ticks off his wins — programs to promote the ethanol and moviemaking industries, provide college scholarships, make prescription drugs more affordable, help businesses insure their employees and give Montana-made food a label declaring its birthright.

But his irritation is obvious at losing an ethics law overhaul to limit departing public officials from cashing in on their former government jobs and a proposal to ferret out government waste.

‘‘It just didn't even get to first base,'' he said of his ethics bill. ‘‘It didn't even get considered.''

The search for greater government efficiency will go on without legislative backing or funding, Schweitzer said.

He has his detractors and he acknowledges some are fellow Democrats unhappy with his refusal to support the kind of tax increases they have been unable to pass during the decade of Republican dominance.

Tough, Schweitzer said. ‘‘There will be no new increases in taxes.''

Yet his harshest critics remain Republicans.

They consider him aloof on legislative matters, reluctant to take stands on key issues such as school funding, thin-skinned when confronted and more concerned about his image than governing. They don't like that he wears jeans with his tie and sports jacket, and they consider him egotistical.

‘‘He's trying to figure out things that could help him with his legacy,'' said House Republican Leader Roy Brown of Billings. ‘‘He's only been here 100 days. Why's he concerned about his legacy?''

Brown accuses Schweitzer of hypocrisy when it comes to lobbyists by ridiculing them as unsavory influence peddlers while brother Walter Schweitzer was asking them for corporate contributions for the inaugural ball.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Keenan, a Bigfork Republican whose persistent criticism of Schweitzer has led some to believe he plans a run for governor in 2008, insists he's giving the newcomer a break.

‘‘You have to give him room to grow into the office,'' Keenan said. ‘‘He has a knack for the showmanship. That show horse has not given way to the workhorse attitude that has to be prevalent in a legislative session.''

GOP leaders complain that Schweitzer bullies contrary lawmakers, although the governor denies it. But he has repeated his campaign vow to take his causes directly to voters whose legislators buck his policies.

Schweitzer, 49, dismisses criticism from any quarter as a routine part of his job.

‘‘There are any number of barking dogs in this process, some on the third floor, some of the folks back home, some party leadership,'' he said. ‘‘I let them bark and listen to them bark and try to understand them better.

While coping with the hectic pace of the Legislature, Schweitzer also has managed to attract national attention.

Schweitzer's election, in the Republican bastion of the intermountain West and in a year of few Democratic victories nationally, raised plenty of eyebrows. He got noticed for his hard-line approach to downstream Missouri River basin states' demand for water. His request that the Pentagon send Montana National Guard troops and water-toting helicopters home in time for the summer fire season made national news.

Schweitzer shrugs off the notoriety, saying it means nothing unless it's a benefit to the state. Still, he's not shy in explaining his national appeal.

‘‘I'm a straight shooter. I tell it like it is and that is a diminishing commodity among politicians,'' he said.

Holding his first elected office, Schweitzer admits awe at where he finds himself daily.

‘‘It's hard for us to imagine all the conversations that have occurred in this room in the last 100 years,'' he said.

‘‘I sometimes early in the morning or late at night sit back and ponder about the magnitude of this office and the difficult decisions that have been made in this office over the last 100 years,'' he said. ‘‘It's a remarkable responsibility and it's not something I take lightly at all.''

Editors: Bob Anez has covered the Montana statehouse and political scene for the AP since 1985.