HELENA -- The Democrat field for next year's Montana Attorney-General race was already competetive. Until yesterday, though, the Republican side wasn't even a race.

Helena commercial attorney Tim Fox has broken the drought as the first Republican stepping forward to compete for the attorney general post being vacated by Democrat Mike McGrath.

Three prominent Montana Democrats (complete with web-sites) have already declared for their primary.

Fox, currently a partner with Helena-based law firm Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman, declared his candidacy from Helen's Capitol rotunda Thursday morning. As a banking attorney, Fox was appointed to the State of Montana Banking Board by former Governor Judy Martz.

He'll be joined by Butte attorney Lee Bruner, who has said he will officially announce his candidacy for the Republican run-off today, the AP reported.

Bruner practices civil and environmental litigation and medical-malpractice defense as an attorney and shareholder with century-old Butte-based law firm Poore, Roth & Robinson. He was appointed in 1997 by former Governor Mark Racicot to the Montana Petroleum Tank Release Board.

The Democrats were a lot quicker out of the gate once nominations began for McGrath's post. The latest addition was Bozeman attorney and former Montana State Senator Mike Wheat, who joined the race in late March.

A day earlier, Democrat House Minority Leader John Parker of Great Falls became the state's third prominent Democrat to step up for the attorney general run-off. Parker has served the past four years in the Montana State Legislature.

Steve Bullock, like Fox a Helena attorney, was the first Democrat to enter the race. He has worked in Montana's secretary of state's and attorney general's offices and boasts former Attorney General Joe Mazurek as his campaign manager.

The still-popular McGrath is leaving as Montana's attorney general in 2008 due to term limits.