Montana: McCain Surges Ahead by Double-Digits

[Hope And Change]

This telephone survey of 700 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports September 8, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

See http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us/methodology">Methodology.

Election 2008: Montana Presidential Election

Montana: McCain Surges Ahead by Double-Digits

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

John McCain has opened a double digit lead over Barack Obama in Montana. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Treasure State finds McCain leading by eleven, 53% to 42% (demographic crosstabs available for Premium Members).

That’s quite a change from late July when the race was a toss-up. Montana has voted for a Republican candidate in nine of the last ten presidential elections but Obama had made clear his intention to compete for the state’s three Electoral College votes. The candidate himself spent the Fourth of July in Butte, Montana and his campaign ran significant television advertising in the state. However, just before the Democratic National Convention, Obama stopped advertising in Montana and several other traditionally Republican states.

With release of this poll, Montana shifts from “Leans Republican” to “Likely Republican” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. NOTE: Factors other than the latest Rasmussen Reports poll impact the Balance of Power ratings. The current status is indicated on the table in the upper right corner of this article.

Nationally, the race between Obama and McCain is essentially even in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).

McCain is now viewed favorably by 60% of Montana voters, little changed from 59% in July. However, the number with a Very Favorable opinion of the Republican hopeful jumped from 26% in July to 35% today.


http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/montana/election_2008_montana_presidential_election">Full article here

[MattNC]

1. Just saw that

Ugh. Figured it'd happen eventually.

[scheming daemons]

2. Montana was never really in play unless Obama picked Schweitzer....

[WI_DEM]

3. We'll still fight for Montana--I'm not going to let a poll taken at the end of the convention

make me feel like we can't do it--because Obama can and he will.

[slackmaster]

4. How many Electoral College votes does Montana have now?

Not many IIRC.

[Hope And Change]

5. 3 EV`s.

[slackmaster]

6. Same as Alaska I believe

The minimum that a state can have.

[Hope And Change]

10. Yes, that is correct.3 EV`s that is.

[racaulk]

13. The same amount that would have given Gore an electoral college victory in 2000.

We cannot afford to write off any state due to it having a small number of EC votes. Montana deserves to be fought for too.

Edited to correct a misused homonym.

[Jersey Devil]

7. I hope you were never really counting on Montana

Christ, if that were to happen Idaho and Utah would be next.

[Hope And Change]

9. Of course not.This was just for your info :)

[DebbieCDC]

8. Gov. Brian will get out there on the stump for Obama

He's very popular and should be good for Obama out on the road.

But please, let's get our focus off these polls and onto the business at hand.

[VeraAgnes]

11. Is Montana a racist state?

What is their problem?

[BlooInBloo]

14. No more than white folks anywhere else. It's mostly the Moose-Effect, I think.

[wvbygod]

16. What is your implication?

I often see voters being called racist if they don't vote our ticket.

What was their problem when they went for bush? Could it be the same as now?

[otohara]

12. Sheep - WTF?

all this for Sarah?

I'm going to be sick now.

[cyr330]

15. No surprise here.

MT has always has been red all the way. I don't think it was ever really in play, unless there's something I don't know?

[theothersnippywshrub]

17. Palin brought the Night of the Broken Glass Republicans home in Montana.

This is true in most solidly republican states and probably distorts the significance of McCain's improvement in the national polling numbers.