Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was unanimously elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association this week, a post Schweitzer said will enable him to put a Montana stamp on national policy.

“When we as Democratic governors are suggesting policy to the next administration and Congress, having me in this position is going to allow Montanans’ perspective to be heard,” Schweitzer said Wednesday.

The governor spoke with Lee Newspapers from Washington, D.C., where he was to attend the Democratic Governors meeting and to watch the lighting of the Montana-grown national Christmas tree Tuesday night.

Brian Namey, a spokesman for the Washington-based Democratic Governors Association, said Schweitzer, who previously served as vice-chairman of the group, was the only governor nominated to lead the organization.

Schweitzer said better than half of the nation’s governors are Democrats and the new Obama-Biden administration is going to be looking to governors for policy ideas on the hot-button issues of health care, energy and building infrastructure.

“It’s clear that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are interested in our ideas,” Schweitzer said. “I’ll be a point person for the Democratic governors in terms of advising them on the perspective of the states.”

Schweitzer said he didn’t think a Montana governor had ever headed the organization.

The term is for one year.

In addition to working on national policy, Schweitzer will also be working to raise money to elect other Democratic governors, Namey said. Only two states have governors up for election in 2009; but in 2010 some 36 seats are up. Schweitzer’s fundraising will be part of those efforts, Namey said.

Travel requirements of the chairman vary, Namey said, adding that although Schweitzer and all Democratic governors are free to work out of the DGA’s Washington, D.C. office, when need be, Schweitzer will not have an office there.