Republican GOP hopefuls seek conservative ground

HELENA — Former Congressman Rick Hill's entrance into the race of Republicans seeking the party's 2012 gubernatorial nomination raises questions of who will be seen as the conservative choice.

Former state Sens. Ken Miller of Laurel and Corey Stapleton of Billings are the other candidates. But Hill is likely the best known of the three after serving two terms in Congress in the late 1990s, while the others have not held statewide elected office.

Hill's campaign announcement speech on Monday advanced a fiscal conservative theme. He told reporters afterward that he has been described as "being i...