Some good news today out of Montana:
In the state’s high-profile U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Jon Tester holds a narrow lead over Republican challenger Matt Rosendale, 46 percent to 43 percent, according to a Montana Television Network-Montana State University poll.
The mail-ballot poll of more than 2,000 registered voters, conducted during a three-week period in late September and early October, has an error margin of plus-or-minus 2 percent.
Given that error margin and the poll results, the race between Tester and Rosendale is statistically a toss-up going into these final weeks of the campaign.
Absentee voting began the weekend of Oct. 13 and election day is Nov. 6.
Trump has been campaigning in Montana a lot but Tester has remained true to his roots:
There is likely no contested Senate seat for which the president will deserve more credit in the event of a Republican win. And if there is one thing Mr. Trump enjoys as much as winning, it is credit.
Still, for months, Mr. Tester had seemed uniquely positioned to hang on, leaning on the centrist reputation and lunch-pail political brand that first carried him to the Senate in 2006.
He is a third-generation farmer from Big Sandy, working his 1,800 acres by tractor. In huddles with colleagues in the halls of the Capitol, he can resemble a retired football lineman discussing investments with his accountants. (Mr. Tester is nearly 300 pounds.) And reporters can rarely resist mention of his signature biographical detail: the meat grinder accident that left him with seven fingers at age 9. (A meat grinder accident left him with seven fingers at age 9.)
At the veterans event in Butte, a short walk from a Democratic field office with a cat who goes by Little Sandy, Mr. Tester deployed the full homespun charm offensive. The senator said the president’s tariff policy “scares the hell out of me” as a farmer. He professed “no love” for the Affordable Care Act, which he voted for, suggesting he was open to changes short of outright repeal. He ceded the microphone to a Trump-supporting veteran who likes Mr. Tester, too.
“I’m somebody born and raised here, somebody who was educated here, somebody who’s been in business here,” Mr. Tester told reporters.
Plus, Tester has The Dude looking out for him. Received this e-mail today from Actor and Activist and sometimes Montana resident, Jeff Bridges, in support of Tester’s re-election campaign:
You may be asking yourself — why is Jeff Bridges emailing me? It all starts with Montana.
I first came here in 1973 while I was filming Thunderbolt and Lightfoot with Clint Eastwood. I fell in love with Montana. Shortly after that I met my wife, Susan, here & we bought a ranch together. Forty years later our love for Montana has grown. The light, the mountains, the people, the history — there’s just no place like Montana.
And there’s nobody who embodies the Montana spirit quite like Jon Tester does.
Jon’s a fighter for Montana’s public lands, health care, clean elections, you name it — and he’s now in the political fight of his life. The dark money groups, the Koch Brothers, and their billionaire buddies are spending millions, buying as many ads as they can to smear Jon.
The billionaires think they can direct this election, but the final cut is up to Montanans. That’s why we need to make sure Jon Tester’s message is heard. Please rush your contribution to help Jon fight back.
Jon is a Montana original. As the only working farmer in the Senate, Jon is relentless when it comes to giving a voice to rural America. He won’t back down to bureaucrats like Betsy DeVos when they threaten Montana and is fighting to protect coverage for folks with pre-existing conditions like asthma or diabetes.
Maybe that’s why the big money guys want to beat Jon. Another Super PAC just popped up to dump $1.5 million into attacking Jon. And you and I know that there’s more where that came from.
The opposition in this race is spending millions to take down Jon. I’d like to invite you to donate right now — can you help Jon push back against these attacks?
I’m with Jon because he’s everything that’s right with Montana — and America. I’m counting on you to help send my friend back to the Senate.
Thanks,
Jeff
Click here to donate to Tester’s re-election campaign.