Republicans hope that Senate candidate Rep. Denny Rehberg will benefit from GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's coattails on Election Day.
“Montanans vote for people who put our state ahead of any political party,” Tester spokesman Aaron Murphy said. “We value leaders who make responsible decisions, hold themselves accountable and fight for our freedoms. In this race, that person is Jon Tester, and a lot of Montanans will be voting accordingly.”
The upside for Tester is that a potential 10-point Romney win in Montana would barely be half of either of the winning margins President George W. Bush enjoyed in the Treasure State in his two elections.
The campaign committees and outside groups have spent more than $20 million in independent expenditures on this race, and the ads have taken a turn in recent weeks. Republicans viewed the recent ad by Montana Hunters and Anglers, a group with ties to Tester and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), as an admission that Tester needs help. The anti-Rehberg ad, which was clearly aimed at Republicans, ended with the message: “Vote Cox,” referring to Libertarian candidate Dan Cox.
But Rehberg needs some help, too, as evidenced by the TV and radio ads launched last week by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. After constantly hammering home ties between Tester and Obama, these ads highlighted the connection between Rehberg and Romney.
Now the candidates are making their final personal pleas for votes. Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and John Barrasso (Wyo.) joined Rehberg this week on his “Liberate Main Street” bus tour.
Tester is finishing up a four-day, 1,700-mile trek before spending the weekend at get-out-the-vote rallies in the state’s largest cities.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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