In Montana, things are looking blue
2006-11-02
Source: Los Angeles Times
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rss feedAt a glance, Montana would seem to be reliable red-state territory: It voted for Bob Dole for president in 1996 and twice, by large margins, for George W. Bush.
Yet Democrats have made major inroads in Montana in recent years, nowhere more than in this fast-growing resort town in the northwestern part of the state, where the main street boasts an eco-friendly fashion shop ("Look Good - Feel Good," a sign out front says), an organic dry-cleaning business, a sushi bar and a Sotheby's International Realty office.
Democrats made key gains in the Flathead Valley in 2004, winning a state Senate seat that helped give Democrats control of that body for the first time in 10 years. And Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat with a mint farm in the area, was elected governor.
There are still plenty of conservative voters here, but those sorts of Democratic gains have turned the Flathead into a crucial battleground in the hard-fought U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Conrad Burns and his Democratic challenger, state Senate President Jon Tester. And they may also help explain why Tester has been slightly ahead in recent polls.
Burns, 71, a three-term incumbent heavily damaged by his links to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is working furiously to close the gap. On Wednesday, Vice President Dick Cheney came to the Flathead Valley for a fire-up-the-faithful rally on Burns' behalf, saying Republicans would reject "resignation or defeatism in the war on terror." President Bush is due in Burns' hometown of Billings today for a similar event.
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