A Rasmussen Poll released Tuesday shows Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg with a slight edge over Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester in Montana’s U.S. Senate race. From Rasmussen Reports:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Montana Voters shows Rehberg with 47% support to Tester’s 44%. Six percent (6%) like some other candidate in the race, and three percent are undecided.

This Montana survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on April 2, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

The numbers are exactly the same as the firm reported in February. They also reflect a Public Policy Polling survey released in December that showed Rehberg up by 2 points.

See the poll's methodology here.

 

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Two weeks after the U.S. Senate passed a two-year Highway Bill, the U.S. House of Representatives elected not to pass the Senate version and instead approved a stopgap three-month extension of the transportation and infrastructure spending bill on Thursday.

The Senate, facing pressure from time constraints, also approved the short-term extension on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, "the government's authority to spend money on transportation programs and levy federal fuel taxes expires on Saturday, leaving no time for a tug-of-war between the two chambers."

After the vote, Sen. Max Baucus continued calling on the House to approve the two-year Highway Bill, which passed the Senate with a 74-22 bipartisan vote on March 14. Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, played a role in developing the Senate bill. He said it would create or sustain 14,000 jobs a year in Montana.

“With the start of construction season on its way, we were left with no choice but to pass the short-term extension today, but now is not the time for a yellow light," Baucus said in a statement. "The Senate worked together for months and months to carefully craft a bipartisan plan that invests in long-term highway jobs without adding a dime to the deficit, and there is absolutely no reason we can’t give it the green light to start getting road crews on the job right now."

 

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When President Barack Obama was caught Monday by a hot mic telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he would have "more flexibility" on missile defense after November's election, he opened the doors for several angles of Republican criticism, including his commitment to the missile defense program and the remark's suggestion that he will win re-election. Obama sought to clarify his statement later.

On Tuesday, Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg's office said Obama's comments suggested "something that Rehberg and others have suspected for ages: that President Obama is saving his more radical agenda for a second term when he no longer needs to worry about re-election."

Specifically, Rehberg expressed concern over the future of the 150 intercontinental ballistic missiles commanded by the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls.

“It’s very troubling to hear President Obama suggest he’ll be able to act with ‘more flexibility’ once he is freed from the constraints his ‘last election,'" Rehberg said in a statement. "If he’s eager to abandon the duty of public accountability, it will be all the more important for Congress to serve its Constitutional role as a check and balance. Whether it’s for the ICBM mission at Malmstrom or the preservation of gun rights, someone’s got to remind the President that in America the power resides with We the People, and that he answers to us, regardless of politics or elections.”

 

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Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are pushing legislation that would allow for maintenance on a pipeline that supplies Kalispell with natural gas.

According to a press release from Tester's office, the aging pipeline runs through Glacier National Park. The National Park Service currently doesn't have authority to issue a permit to NorthWestern Energy to upgrade and maintain the 50-year-old pipeline, the release states.

Tester and Baucus are pushing for a bill that would allow the National Park Service to issue a permit to perform maintenance on the pipeline, "which will let Kalispell safely receive needed energy while protecting some of Montana’s most treasured lands," according to the release.

“This bill cuts through red tape to keep Kalispell homes heated while protecting one of the most beautiful places on Earth,” Tester said. “Responsible maintenance of the pipeline will prevent accidents and help keep Glacier National Park the ‘Crown of the Continent.’”

Montana Power Company constructed the pipeline in 1962 and received its first special-use permit that same year, Tester's office said. The permit was renewed through 1990 but the National Park Service later determined it didn't have authority to grant permits.

The pipeline runs 118 miles and carries natural gas to 25,000 consumers in the Flathead, the press release states.

“This is a common sense bill to make sure Kalispell can continue getting the natural gas it needs the same way it has for the past 50 years," Baucus said. "It’s a no brainer."

 

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Secretary of State Linda McCulloch announced that a record number of candidates have filed for public office in Montana. Filing for Montana's 2012 election year, which opened at 8 a.m. on Jan. 12, ended at 5 p.m. yesterday.

“Montanans enjoy convenient and secure methods of participating in the elections process,” McCulloch said in a statement. “Online candidate filings surged this year, and a record number of voters are choosing to vote by absentee ballot. I’m confident this will be a strong election year.”

A total of 439 candidates filed in Montana, according to McCulloch's office, up from 379 in 2010 and 388 in 2008. That number is divided into legislative (325) and non-legislative (114). Those figures include withdrawn filings.

Non-legislative filings include the U.S. Senate and House, state attorney general, governor and secretary of state, and district judges and other positions. Legislative filings consist of candidates running for the Montana House and Senate.

Broken down by party affiliation, the filings include 170 Republicans, 140 Democrats, 11 Libertarians, three Independents and one Green Party, though McCulloch's office said the Green Party candidate did not meet signature requirements.

 

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The Democratic-controlled Senate narrowly rejected fast-tracking the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The vote was 56-42 in favor of the amendment to the Senate’s highway bill, but 60 were needed for it to pass.

President Barack Obama, according to POLITICO, had “personally lobbied Democrats with phone calls urging them to oppose the measure.” But that didn’t prevent 11 Democratic senators, including both of Montana’s, from crossing party lines to vote in favor of the amendment.

In a statement following his vote, Montana Sen. Max Baucus said, "Montanans can’t afford to wait any longer to get to work building this pipeline. We've done three years of analysis and worked hard on strict environmental considerations - now it's time to move forward on the jobs and energy security our nation deserves.”

Sen. Jon Tester, who also favored the measure, said, “Keystone XL will create jobs and I’m disappointed Congress missed another chance to move the ball forward. This pipeline will put more Montanans to work and increase our energy security, and I’ll keep fighting to see it built – and built responsibly.”

The president insists that the pipeline cannot be approved until it is rerouted through Nebraska to avoid the environmentally sensitive Sandhills region. And White House spokesman Jay Carney said it is a waste of time, according to POLITICO, “to legislate the approval of a pipeline for which there is not even a route.”

 

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his “Montana leadership team,” which included endorsements from three former governors.

Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot (1993-2001) announced his support last week. And Tuesday Judy Martz (2001-2005) and Tim Babcock (1962-1969) joined him in backing the GOP frontrunner.

"Governor Romney, as a former chief executive, has the experience, vision and values to lead our country,” Martz said. “His proven record of turning around companies and the state of Massachusetts, not to mention his success with the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, demonstrates that he has the strong leadership abilities to turn around our country. He is the one Republican candidate that can bring the conservative principles of lower taxes, restrained spending and smaller government to Washington.”

Along with the former governors, Romney also announced that he is backed locally by former Whitefish Sen. Bob Depratu, former Polson Rep. John Mercer and Bigfork Rep. Scott Reichner. A press release says Reichner is general chairman of the Romney for President Montana Committee.

Montana’s Republican primary is held on June 5 and few expect it to last that long.

 

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Politico reported on March 1 that Democratic Sen. Max Baucus is warning lobbyists that supporting Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg, who is running against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, will have repercussions.

Citing unnamed sources, the story says Baucus is using his position as Senate Finance Committee chairman to try to influence campaign contributions.

According to Politico:

The case K-Streeters are making to their clients: It will be a hard sell next year to get Baucus’s support on business-friendly tax perks set to expire or the Bush-era tax cuts that must get through his committee.

The game of hardball is a bold example of a powerful chairman willing to leverage his power to protect his party’s majority, his home-state colleague and potentially his own seat.

Kate Downen, spokeswoman for Baucus, issued a response the following day:

"This anonymous claim made by unnamed lobbyists is not just completely untrue, it's entirely motivated by politics, and it would be unfortunate to let it distract us from the work of moving our economy forward and making sure we leave Montana, and our country, worthy of our kids and grandkids."

 

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