United States Senate election in Montana, 2012
Encyclopedia
The 2012 United States Senate election in Montana will be held on November 6, 2012 alongside a presidential election
, other elections to the United States Senate
in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives
and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester
is running for re-election to a second term.
was elected with 49.2% of the vote in 2006, defeating incumbent Conrad Burns
.
On February 5, 2011, U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg
announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate. Steve Daines had announced he would seek the Republican nomination on November 13, 2010, but just before Rehberg's announcement he dropped out of the primary and announced he would instead seek the Republican nomination for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2012
.
As of early July 2010, Denny Rehberg had saved $1.5 million of an original $2 million in campaign funds. Rehberg accused Democrat Jon Tester's senate campaign of depending on financial contributions from Wall Street
banking executives and the petroleum industry while Rehberg's campaign relies primarily on in state donations.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee
aired an attack add against Jon Tester that mistakenly included a digitally manipulated
photo of Tester (who has only two fingers on his left hand) with full sets of fingers. Another ad against Tester, from the Karl Rove
group Crossroads GPS, falsely asserted that Tester had voted in favor of Environmental Protection Agency regulation of farm dust. In fact, Tester had praised the EPA for not attempting such a regulation. The vote cited in the anti-Tester ad concerned currency exchange rates.
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Hypothetical polling
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{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:130px;"| Date(s)
administered
!
!
! style="width:100px;"| Jon
Tester (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Steve
Daines (R)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| November 10-13, 2010
| align=center| 1,176
| align=center| ± 2.9%
| align=center| 48%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 14%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:130px;"| Date(s)
administered
!
!
! style="width:100px;"| Jon
Tester (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Neil
Livingstone (R)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| November 10-13, 2010
| align=center| 1,176
| align=center| ± 2.9%
| align=center| 46%
| align=center| 35%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 19%
|}
Official campaign websites
Presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is president.- United States :The United States has elections on the state and local levels...
, other elections to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester
Jon Tester
Jon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
is running for re-election to a second term.
Background
Former President of the Montana Senate and farmer Jon TesterJon Tester
Jon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
was elected with 49.2% of the vote in 2006, defeating incumbent Conrad Burns
Conrad Burns
Conrad Ray Burns is a former United States Senator from Montana. He is only the second Republican to represent Montana in the Senate since the passage in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and is the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.While in...
.
Declared
- Denny RehbergDenny RehbergDennis R. "Denny" Rehberg is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, U.S. representative, former lieutenant governor, and former state representative
Declined
- Steve DainesSteve DainesSteve Daines is an American businessman and politician from Bozeman, Montana who was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Montana in 2008, running on the ticket with Roy Brown, the Republican nominee for governor.-Early life:...
, businessman and 2008 Republican nominee for lieutenant governorLieutenant governorA lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
(running for CongressUnited States House of Representatives election in Montana, 2012The 2012 congressional election in Montana will be held on November 6, 2012, to determine who will represent the state of Montana in the United States House of Representatives. Montana has one seat in the House, apportioned according to the 2010 United States Census. Incumbent Denny Rehberg will...
) - Neil Livingstone, terrorism and national security analyst (running for governorMontana gubernatorial election, 2012The 2012 Montana gubernatorial election will take place on November 6, 2012.The Montana Constitution prohibits two-term incumbent governor Brian Schweitzer from seeking a third term.-Declared:* Steve Bullock, State Attorney General...
)
Endorsements for Denny Rehberg |
|---|
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Steve Daines |
Neil Livingstone |
Marc Racicot |
Denny Rehberg |
Other | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | November 10-13, 2010 | 545 | ± 4.2% | 5% | 4% | 40% | 37% | 3% | 11% |
Campaign
As of June 30, 2011, Jon Tester had saved $2.34 million in campaign funds. Tester has been accused by Republican Denny Rehberg's senate campaign of depending on financial contributions from Wall Street banking executives and movie stars.On February 5, 2011, U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg
Denny Rehberg
Dennis R. "Denny" Rehberg is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate. Steve Daines had announced he would seek the Republican nomination on November 13, 2010, but just before Rehberg's announcement he dropped out of the primary and announced he would instead seek the Republican nomination for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2012
United States House of Representatives election in Montana, 2012
The 2012 congressional election in Montana will be held on November 6, 2012, to determine who will represent the state of Montana in the United States House of Representatives. Montana has one seat in the House, apportioned according to the 2010 United States Census. Incumbent Denny Rehberg will...
.
As of early July 2010, Denny Rehberg had saved $1.5 million of an original $2 million in campaign funds. Rehberg accused Democrat Jon Tester's senate campaign of depending on financial contributions from Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
banking executives and the petroleum industry while Rehberg's campaign relies primarily on in state donations.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
aired an attack add against Jon Tester that mistakenly included a digitally manipulated
Photo manipulation
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
photo of Tester (who has only two fingers on his left hand) with full sets of fingers. Another ad against Tester, from the Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
group Crossroads GPS, falsely asserted that Tester had voted in favor of Environmental Protection Agency regulation of farm dust. In fact, Tester had praised the EPA for not attempting such a regulation. The vote cited in the anti-Tester ad concerned currency exchange rates.
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Jon Tester (D) |
Marc Racicot (R) |
Other | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | November 10-13, 2010 | 1,176 | ± 2.9% | 42% | 49% | — | 9% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Jon Tester (D) |
Denny Rehberg (R) |
Other | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | November 28-30, 2011 | 1,625 | ± 2.4% | 45% | 47% | — | 8% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 16-19, 2011 | 819 | ± 3.4% | 45% | 47% | — | 8% |
| Mason-Dixon (report) | March 14-16, 2011 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 45% | — | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | November 10-13, 2010 | 1,176 | ± 2.9% | 46% | 48% | — | 6% |
{| class="navbox collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left; border:0; margin-top:0.2em;"
|-
! style="background:#cff; font-weight:normal;"|
Hypothetical polling
|-
| style="border:solid 1px silver; padding:8px; background:white;"|
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:130px;"| Date(s)
administered
!
!
! style="width:100px;"| Jon
Tester (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Steve
Daines (R)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| November 10-13, 2010
| align=center| 1,176
| align=center| ± 2.9%
| align=center| 48%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 14%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:130px;"| Date(s)
administered
!
!
! style="width:100px;"| Jon
Tester (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Neil
Livingstone (R)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| November 10-13, 2010
| align=center| 1,176
| align=center| ± 2.9%
| align=center| 46%
| align=center| 35%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 19%
|}
See also
- United States Senate elections, 2012United States Senate elections, 2012Elections to the United States Senate are to be held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies...
- United States House of Representatives election in Montana, 2012United States House of Representatives election in Montana, 2012The 2012 congressional election in Montana will be held on November 6, 2012, to determine who will represent the state of Montana in the United States House of Representatives. Montana has one seat in the House, apportioned according to the 2010 United States Census. Incumbent Denny Rehberg will...
- Montana gubernatorial election, 2012Montana gubernatorial election, 2012The 2012 Montana gubernatorial election will take place on November 6, 2012.The Montana Constitution prohibits two-term incumbent governor Brian Schweitzer from seeking a third term.-Declared:* Steve Bullock, State Attorney General...
External links
- Elections and Government - Montana Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Montana at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
Official campaign websites