MT-Sen: Daines raises $415k

[Morning in Atlas]

Oy.

[Morning in Atlas]

I'm cautiously optimistic about Daines staying out, still. He's already a regional head for the Central West region in the NRCC, so clearly he's already making moves up the ladder in the house.

[Morning in Atlas]

After Rick Berg, I am unsure of first term Representatives running for Senate.

What is Daines like? Is he a better candidate quality wise?

I'm not really sure of this, but one reason I thought of was that Berg could have been seen as inexperienced. He had only just won his first statewide election two years earlier, wheras Heitkamp had 14 years of statewide experience as State Tax Commissioner and State Attorney General.

If this had a part, then this could also apply to Daines, but I'm still not sure about that being the case.

He's even less experienced than Berg is. Berg had about thirty years in the North Dakota House of Representatives, but Daines has no prior political experience besides a run for LtGov in 2008.

[Morning in Atlas]

So, Daines is probably in?

Signs point to yes. Here's to hoping Schweitzer can hold on.

[Morning in Atlas]

Yeah. To be completely honest I thought he was raising so much because he's a regional director for the NRCC and has two hard races to run, but McConnell/Thune/Portman lead me to believe he's in for the long haul.

[Morning in Atlas]

I think this Montana Senate race is lean Schweitzer. I find it hard to believe that Daines or even Racicot is close or leading. Schweitzer is very popular but he is also very Montana, something Daines and Racicot seem to lack. With Daines you might as well just run "Generic Republican". It seems clear Republicans are not quite learning from the North Dakota fiasco.

I want to believe this, but it's so much harder to win a national race than a statewide race, especially when the MT seat might decide the Senate.

What aren't they learning? There isn't a better candidate than Daines, no?

Racicot would be the best candidate, but he has the Palin problem. That is, he basically left the state high and dry once he got national prominence. Stapleton strikes me as too conservative, and Edmunds is crazy. That pretty much leaves Daines as the best candidate.