ENNIS, Mont. — Louie Baur confessed he doesn’t know much about Matt Rosendale, after meeting the Republican challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Tester as he glad-handed supporters and posed for selfies along Main Street in this historic hunting outpost.
But Rosendale has President Trump’s seal-of-approval in Montana’s suddenly competitive Senate contest — and that’s good enough for Baur, 50, a recent transplant from California who is excited to cast his ballot. “I’m not that familiar with his platform, but I don’t need to be,” he said, one day after Trump rallied for Rosendale in Missoula, 200 miles to the northwest. “Republicans need to stay in charge.”
Polling is sparse, but the Rosendale and Tester campaigns agree the race is essentially a toss-up two weeks before the critical midterm elections. Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced a $1.5 million advertising buy in Montana, after previously planning to say out of the race because the group didn’t think Rosendale was worth the investment.