The Montana Democratic Party is running television ads and mailing fliers to voters attacking the Republican candidate for governor as "Big Oil" Roy Brown.

Brown is calling foul, saying the TV ad and flier are filled with lies and just another diversionary attack by Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer so he can duck "the real issues."

The TV ad and flier are independent expenditures by the Democratic Party and done independently of Schweitzer's campaign. They accuse Brown of voting against renewable energy, while supporting tax breaks for oil companies.

Brown is a former petroleum engineer who worked for Marathon Oil Co. in Wyoming, Ohio, Ireland, England and Egypt. He later was co-owner of a Montana oil production company that employed up to 40 people and produced oil in three states.

The narrator in the 30-second TV spot, titled "Slippery," says: "Big Oil Roy Brown. Roy's a longtime oil executive with kind of a (cough) slippery record. He voted against renewable energy. But he gave tax breaks to oil companies. And they gave Big Oil Roy record campaign cash."

The ad goes on to contrast Brown's record with Schweitzer's success of pushing for new wind farms, biofuel plants and clean coal, while noting that oil production is up 40 percent in Montana.

"Gov. Brian Schweitzer," it concludes, "Energy that's moving forward in Montana."

The ad says it's paid for by the Montana Democratic Party.

Likewise, the Democratic Party's flier says Brown "spent his whole life working for Big Oil, and his record shows he would continue pandering to Big Oil as Montana's next governor."

It shows a photo of Brown appearing to be standing in an oil barrel and says, "Big Oil's Roy Brown has always put his Big Oil buddies first -- and that's bad for Montana." Various votes on bills are listed on the oil barrel.

In response, Brown said it's another instance of Schweitzer, through the Democratic Party, avoiding the real issues.

"He can't criticize my policy proposals because he has none of his own to offer," Brown said. "His own record of the last four years is so full of lies and half-truths that he can't stand on that. So he's reverted to name-calling and an ad wrought with misinformation and lies."

Brown said the only part of the TV ad that's factual is his involvement in oil production, but that he hasn't had any interest in the oil business for 13 years.

"When I got started as a small businessman, oil was $8 a barrel," Brown said. "I missed out on any 'big' oil, and the small independent businesses that make up the large majority of Montana's oil producers aren't part of 'big oil' either."

Brown said there really isn't "big oil," in Montana, but many hard-working, small businesses doing their best to support their families and provide good-paying jobs.

He said his campaign has received more financial support from farmers, ranchers and retirees than from oil industry people. Schweitzer, Brown said, has received many thousands of dollars from out-of-state liberals.

As for the flier, Brown's campaign noted that the ad shows a doctored photo of Brown sitting at a desk showing logos of oil companies for which he never worked such as Chevron and Exxon.

The Democratic Party and Schweitzer's campaign have used the "Big Oil" label against Brown for months.

On the Web

Click here to view the ad on YouTube.