Brian Schweitzer has proved to be a dynamic, effective leader, and we're endorsing him for a second term as governor of the state of Montana.

To be sure, the governor has been in office during a time when the state's economy has been strong. But he has worked hard to keep it that way.

Schweitzer is quick to point out that Montana has had the nation's seventh-fastest growing economy over the past three years, and the third fastest in the past six months, with one of the lowest rates of unemployment. In fact, average monthly job growth during Schweitzer's years in office averaged 1,321 -- well above job-growth rates during the past 16 years when Republicans held the governorship.

Schweitzer's opponent, Roy Brown, is an experienced lawmaker with a classic Republican agenda calling for tax cuts and a commission to evaluate state programs. But he seems to be spending an awfully large amount of time denying Schweitzer credit for the state's good times. And we're not sure calling Schweitzer a bully adds much to the discussion.

Schweitzer, of course, can get a little carried away. Broadly hinting of strong-arm election tactics in a speech at a trial lawyers' convention, for instance, may have seemed funny at the time, but it did him and his state no good. But overall, Schweitzer's willingness to push hard for his policies is more of a plus than a minus.

It was Schweitzer who ended years of deteriorating state funding for public schools with a steep increase. Those increases tailed off this past year, with the result that schools have gone back to court. But as the governor told our Editorial Board recently, after coming up with all those increases, "why would anybody think we'd quit now?"

One big difference between the candidates involves the state's business equipment tax, which Brown wants to eliminate entirely. Schweitzer favors ending the tax for the smaller businesses, but retaining the tax on the 10 percent that are giant, usually out-of-state, corporations. He says small businesses will spend their extra profits in Montana, while the windfall for big corporations is likely to disappear beyond our borders without any benefit to the state. That makes sense to us.

When Schweitzer was elected governor four years ago, we knew we were in for quite a ride. As it turns out, it's been a pretty good ride, worth another four years of the same.