Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana sits in the thin area between winning and losing as Tuesday night approaches, with conflicting polls showing him either ahead or behind his GOP opponent Matt Rosendale by narrow margins.
According to Hot Air, the Democratic polling firm Change Research has put Rosendale ahead of Tester by three points.
“Tester only leads 51-38 among independents, and that’s probably not enough for him to win. And Montana’s political trends don’t seem to be in his favor,” said the firm on Monday. “Far fewer Montanans now describe themselves as independents compared to 18 months ago.”
“Today, more than 3x as many Montanans (36%, compared to 11%) rate Trump a 10 out of 10. The state’s independent streak appears to be thinning — hurting candidates like Tester,” the firm continued.
As noted by Hot Air, Matt Rosendale has not had much luck thus far, with nearly every poll showing him behind Tester by fairly substantial margins. Keep in mind, Change Research is an outlier poll and has made bold predictions, such as Sen. Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke being in a dead heat in Texas.
Conversely, one Harris Interactive/Scott Rasmussen poll has put Tester ahead by six to seven points. Newsweek has more:
A poll concluded November 1 by Harris Interactive shows Tester leads Rosendale by a margin of 49 percent to 42 percent – plus 7 points. Similarly, a poll concluded on October 26 by Gravis Marketing showed Tester with a plus 3 points lead over Rosendale (48 percent to 45 percent). The most recent University of Montana poll concluded on October 18, showed Tester with a plus 10 point lead over Rosendale (49 percent to 39 percent).
The latest polls come shortly after President Trump campaigned hard for Rosendale over the weekend, during which the president bashed Tester as being a pawn of “Cryin’ Chuck” Schumer.
“We can’t have someone who will vote lockstep with Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Cryin’ Chuck,” Trump said at a rally over the weekend regarding Jon Tester.
Indeed, Jon Tester has shown himself to be a perfect puppet of Schumer when it comes to the important votes, being that he opposed both of President Trump’s judicial nominees: Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
On Gorsuch, Tester said he opposed the conservative Justice for fear he represented “dark money.”
As Montana’s Senator, one of my most important responsibilities is to advise and consent on Supreme Court nominees.
I took my time with this process because I believe the Supreme Court is too important to play politics with and this decision was not easy, it came with thoughtful deliberation, late nights, and the counsel of thousands of Montanans.
After meeting with Judge Gorsuch face-to-face, giving him a fair hearing, and reviewing his qualifications, I cannot support the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch.
I cannot support a nominee who refuses to answer important questions.
With Judge Gorsuch on the bench, I am deeply concerned that dark money will continue to drown out the voices and votes of citizens, the Court will stand between women and their doctors, and the government will reach into the private lives of law-abiding Americans.
These are not Montana values.
Lawyers with degrees from Ivy League schools often get good at dodging questions.
But a Judge cannot hide from his opinions.
Over the years, Judge Gorsuch gave corporations the same Constitutional rights as a nurse from Plentywood, a teacher from Kalispell, or a farmer from Fort Benton.
In the controversial Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby decision, he ruled that a corporation can have religious beliefs just like people.
If that were true, then I invite Wells Fargo out to my farm to spend a few long days picking rock in the fields.
And, according to Judge Gorsuch’s opinion in Riddle v. Hickenlooper, he believes campaign contributions deserve First Amendment protections.
Montanans know: money is not speech.
And not only does Judge Gorsuch think corporations have the same rights as people, in Hobby Lobby he decided that the rights of a corporation outweighed the rights of Montana women.
It’s clear to me that, if confirmed, Judge Gorsuch would threaten our access to a doctor and endanger the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.
While he is good on the Second Amendment, his views on the Fourth Amendment — guaranteeing the right to privacy — should be concerning to everyone.
In this country, we are innocent until proven guilty and we value our civil liberties.
Judge Gorsuch has argued for a narrow interpretation of the Fourth Amendment which could subject Montanans to government overreach.
Whether it’s searching a car that was illegally pulled over or trying to meddle in a private health care decision, Montanans rightfully want to keep the government out.
I am concerned that if Judge Gorsuch is confirmed, our future will be shaped with dark money and an expanding government that violates our fundamental freedoms.
This is not a future that works for Montana, and I cannot support this nomination.