Washington--The American Insurance Association is negotiating with Marc Racicot, former governor of Montana and chairman of the Republican National Committee during President Bush's first term, to be its new president, it was learned.

Mr. Racicot, 57, (whose name is pronounced Roscoe) is currently a partner at Bracewell & Guiliani in Washington, D.C. The law firm has its roots in Houston.

One insurance industry lobbyist called the AIA's courting of Mr. Racicot "an astute move."

The lobbyist, who did not know of Mr. Racicot's potential appointment, explained, "Mr. Racicot has strong ties amongst the states, to the nation's governors, and certainly knows his way around Washington."

The AIA would not comment, although one source did go so far as to confirm that Mr. Racicot is the AIA's top candidate to succeed Robert Vagley, who announced last year that he wanted to step down.

But the sources made clear that Mr. Racicot has not yet signed a contract to head the trade group.

The position is one of the top lobbying posts in Washington, D.C. The job pays more than $1 million annually.

An aide to Mr. Racicot in Washington, D.C. said Mr. Racicot was back home in Montana and could not be reached.

Mr. Racicot was chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign, and was formerly chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2002. He was a prominent spokesman for the president during the battle over the Florida election results in November and December 2000.

Mr. Racicot served as Montana's governor from 1993-2001. A 1973 graduate of University of Montana Law School and an Army ROTC graduate, he served in the military with the Judge Advocate General's Corps in West Germany acting as chief prosecutor there.

While on Army duty, he also taught business and criminal law for the University of Maryland. He was elected state attorney general in 1989 after a stint as a state prosecutor. He was first elected governor in 1992.

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Racicot Of Montana Eyed For Top AIA Post

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