query: When did Max Baucus become senator of Montana?
passage: Max Baucus
Max Sieben Baucus (né Enke; born December 11, 1941) is a retired American politician and diplomat who served as a United States Senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a U.S. Senator for nearly 36 years, making him the longest-serving Senator in Montana history. President Barack Obama appointed Baucus to replace Gary Locke as the 11th United States Ambassador to China, a position that he held from 2014 until 2017.[1][2]
passage: Pat Williams (Montana politician)
In 1974 Williams ran an unsuccessful primary election campaign against now Senator Max Baucus for the Democratic Party nomination for Montana's U.S. House 1st District Representative. Baucus would win the November elections defeating Republican Dick Shoup. In 1978 Williams ran a successful primary campaign against Dorothy Bradley to win the Democratic nomination for the 1st District of Montana. In November Williams defeated Republican Jim Waltermire in one of Montana's largest door-to-door campaigns, and winning 57% percent of the vote, getting elected to the 96th U.S. Congress.