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Montana U.S. Senate

After accusations of corruption and numerous controversial public statements, Sen. Conrad Burns is in the fight of his life.

This entrenched incumbent is the target of a strong challenge by Democrat Jon Tester. If Tester were to win, it wouldmark the replacement of one of the most reliably right-wing votes in the Senate with an energetic and dedicatedprogressive. The Cook Political Report ranks this race a Toss-Up.

Montana

One of the largest and least-populated states, Montana is reliably conservative in recent presidential elections. The tidemay be turning, however; Democrats had a banner year in Montana in 2004, picking up the governorship and the statelegislature. This state may be willing to take another look at progressive politics on the federal level. Burns is particularlyvulnerable to this tide: current Gov. Brian Schweitzer nearly unseated Burns in a close 2000 race.

About Jon Tester

First elected to the state Senate in 1998 from the rural

town of Big Sandy, Jon Tester rose to become Presidentof the body. He is a former music teacher and third-generation wheat farmer who uses organic farmingmethods. He won a surprisingly large and convincing61% victory in the June primary and gained momentumin his challenge to Burns. He is stressing his role as abipartisan consensus-builder in the Senate, and his strongprogressive stance on health care, energy, naturalresources and ethics. www.testerforsenate.comAbout Conrad Burns

Burns has served in the U.S. Senate since 1988. He has

received a perfect 100% rating from the AmericanConservative Union in 2005. Burns is a key proponent of some of the GOPs most aggressive policies on a wide variety ofissues, including bankruptcy, oil drilling in Alaskas wilderness preserves, taxation, and social issues. He has also beentied closely to convicted felon Jack Abramoff, receiving thousands from the former lobbyist in campaign contributionsand accompanying him on numerous trips. He was named as one of the most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens forResponsibility and Ethics in Washington. Burns does not have the most polished public presence: his frequent gaffes havemade him seem insensitive and out of touch. www.conradburns.comFundraising and Polling

Burns, as a two-term incumbent, has a substantial fundraising advantage. He has brought in over $5.5 million this cycle,and industries from banking to oil to pharmaceuticals have poured money into his campaign. He has already spentheavily, leaving him with $2.2 million on hand. Tester has brought in $1.7 million, 86% of which came from individual

contributors. His primary spending has left him with $515,000 on hand.

Polling since the primary has shown this race to be very competitive. The independent Rasmussen poll done in mid-August shows a 47-47 tie, Testers most recent internal polling shows him ahead 44-37, and the latest independent poll,done the last week of August by USA Today, gives Tester a 48-45 advantage, within the margin of error.

Sources: www.washingtonpost.com, www.centerforpolitics.org, sos.state.mt.us/ELB, realclearpolitics.com, www.fec.gov

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION http://political.moveon.orgNot authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.

Democrat Republican

Candidate Jon Tester Conrad Burns

Funds On Hand $515,000 $2,207,000

Recent Poll 48% 45%

http://www.testerforsenate.com/http://www.conradburns.com/http://www.washingtonpost.com/http://www.centerforpolitics.org/http://sos.state.mt.us/ELB/index.asphttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/http://www.fec.gov/http://political.moveon.org/http://political.moveon.org/http://www.fec.gov/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/http://sos.state.mt.us/ELB/index.asphttp://www.centerforpolitics.org/http://www.washingtonpost.com/http://www.conradburns.com/http://www.testerforsenate.com/