In what is their tightest contest in any poll so far, Montana’s Democratic Sen. Jon Tester barely ekes out a lead over State Auditor and Republican challenger Matt Rosendale.
According to a poll completed Monday by the University of Montana and Montana Television Network, two-termer Tester leads Rosendale among likely voters by 46 to 43 percent. The margin of error was +/-2 percent.
In a state that he carried by 20 percentage points in 2016, President Trump has made two visits on behalf of Rosendale. Donald Trump, Jr. and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle also stumped for the Republican hopeful this month, making it clear the White House is tying itself close to Rosendale and the cause of defeating Tester.
“I think Trump wouldn’t continue to come to Montana if there wasn’t some evidence his appearances here were helping Matt Rosendale,” former Secretary of State and 2004 GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob Brown told Newsmax, referring to the latest poll.
Brown added that both Tester and Rosendale “are now in full attack mode with ceaseless negative broadsides on television. Certainly this will be close.”
The Quinnipiac University Poll on Florida’s Senate race was big news throughout the Sunshine State.
In showing Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson beating Republican Gov. Rick Scott by 52 to 46 percent (with a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points), Quinnipiac sharply contradicted a St. Petes Poll last week that had Scott slightly ahead of Nelson by 49 to 48 percent.
Quinnipiac’s figures were surprising not only because they differ so sharply from St. Petes, but they come following Scott’s widely-praised performance overseeing relief after Hurricane Michael. St. Pete’s found that 62 percent of Floridians had a positive opinion of Scott’s handling of the disaster.
“Scott will win because the last week of the campaign will be intensive,” Larry Casey, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida attorney and campaign manager to the late Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., told Newsmax. “President Trump will probably make three or four stops on his behalf in Florida - maybe more than one in a day.”
Casey also cited the growing attention paid to the “caravan” of Latin American immigrants headed for the border. If illegal immigration and the caravan continue to become issues and overtake health care in terms of significance with the voters, Casey added, “Nelson is finished.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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