John Bohlinger in 2014 MT Senate debate

On Health Care: Strong advocate of a single-payer system like Medicare

"We know that the Affordable Care Act has met with a great deal of resistance in Montana," he said, carefully. "People are disappointed that it hasn't been able to deliver what was promised. We know that--oh, gosh, more than 30,000 Montanans have had their insurance policies canceled."

"It's 38,000 now," interjected Bohlinger's strategist.

"And the new insurance is more expensive than the old insurance," said the candidate. "It hasn't worked. We're strong advocates of a single-payer system. Medicare works for me." Bohlinger went on, talking about how Montana had invested in hospitals for state employees, and how one of them had outfitted him with a titanium hip. "My out-of-pocket cost was $300."

On Technology: Digital privacy threatened by warrantless NSA invasions

Bohlinger said his effort would send a message to federal agencies even if the Montana Constitution would not bind them. It takes nearly 50,000 signatures from registered voters to change the Constitution. Bohlinger said he will lead the signature-gathering effort.

The announcement came a day after many Silicon Valley leaders escalated pressure on President Barack Obama to curb US government surveillance programs that vacuum personal information off the Internet and threaten the technology industry's financial livelihood. Bohlinger said he wants Montana to lead the nation in protecting electronic communications from government spies.

On Health Care: Expand Medicaid to cover 70,000 low-income Montanans

Yet the Democratic governor expressed no enthusiasm for the idea. Bullock, who proposed expanding Medicaid this year, has said that he sees no point in calling a special session, because the Republican majority in the Legislature is likely to reject it again.

Bohlinger said the issue of Medicaid expansion is too important to wait until 2015. Thousands of low-income Montanans are unable to get health-care coverage that will be required next year, either because they've had difficult using the new online ObamaCare marketplace or because they're too poor to get any assistance, he said.

On Abortion: 2001: Supported Fetal Protection Act & partial-birth ban

Bohlinger wrote on his Facebook wall that he "consistently voted for a woman's right to choose" while a state legislator, according to The liberal Montana blog Intelligent Disconnect. That blog argues that isn't true, pointing to a low lifetime score from the NARAL Pro-Choice Montana group and a number of votes he took in the legislature. Bohlinger, who served as a Republican in the statehouse and alongside Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) before switching parties for this campaign, voted for the "Fetal Protection Act" in 2001, as well as for laws to ban partial-birth abortion and for parental consent requirements for teenagers to be able to get abortions in Montana.

On Abortion: Supreme Court decided the issue; state cannot overturn it

On Principles & Values: An outsider supported by the people & not the establishment

But outsiders still need supporters. Walsh has put together a team of campaign staffers and supporters that include both sitting Montana senators. Asked specifically who is supporting him, Bohlinger replied: "It's the people of Montana."

There is one answer to that question that some deem obvious. Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer may be Bohlinger's closest ally in state politics after eight years as a team. Bohlinger says that Schweitzer gave him their old campaign donor lists and "pledged me a nice contribution" for his Senate run [but Schweitzer will not publicly endorse].

On Principles & Values: Elected as Republican; then ran on Democrat governor ticket

Bohlinger has said for several months he was considering entering the US Senate race as a Democrat, and that he felt he would be the best candidate to defeat Daines, the likely Republican nominee.

"I believe it's important not only for Montana but for our country that we maintain a Democratic majority in the US Senate," he told the Gazette State Bureau earlier this fall. "Because of my statewide name recognition, I think I can win in November 2014. We need to nominate someone who can win in November."