Jim O'Hara

Jim O'Hara (born January 14, 1954) has been the County Commissioner for Chouteau County, Montana since 2001. He is currently a Republican candidate for Governor of Montana in 2012.

Jim O'Hara, a 4th generation Montanan was born and raised in Fort Benton, MT near the sight where his grandfather homesteaded in 1910. He worked as a small farmer for over 20 years until he and his wife, Vicky, became small business owners, buying the Daily Grind in Great Falls. Today the Daily Grind has three locations in Great Falls.

O'Hara is a founder and board member of Lubigreen Biosynthetics, a research and development firm focusing on environmentally friendly lubricants.

O'Hara was elected Chouteau County Commissioner in 2001 and retains the position today. His primary focus as commissioner was adding value was "adding value to agricultural products."He played a role in bringing an Irish-based company that is committed to spending 2 billion dollars developing wind power to Montana.

O'Hara announced his candidacy in January, 2011. He spent seven years painting and placing his own billboards in each county in Montana, with each billboard depicting a different Montana county courthouse. He received national coverage on CBS for painting and placing his own billboards across the entire state.

He is running on a platform calling for a smaller and simplified state government, especially with regard to the tax code.