Sen. Baucus marrying former staffer Hanes

HELENA (AP) — U.S. Sen. Max Baucus is marrying his girlfriend and former state director Melodee Hanes at the Sieben Ranch north of Helena on Saturday.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Sen. Max Baucus dances with Melodee Hanes during the Congressional Picnichosted by President Barack Obama on the South Lawn of the White House inWashington, June 15.

A spokeswoman for the 69-year-old Baucus said the wedding will be a small, casual event with close friends and family. Kate Downen says the office is not discussing the guest list.

Baucus and his second wife, Wanda, divorced in early 2009 after 25 years of marriage.

The senator recommended Hanes for Montana's U.S. attorney post in 2009, a move that later came under scrutiny due to their relationship. By then, Hanes had withdrawn her name from consideration and instead took a job with the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

The couple plans a hiking trip in Glacier National Park in August as a honeymoon.