Coronavirus helps boost Bullock in U.S. Senate race

Sen. Daines lagging, GOP ‘nervous’

“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 5/11/20

According to The Daily Beast, Gov. Steve Bullock’s regular media presence throughout the pandemic is actually a major boon for the politician hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Steve Daines. “Now, after weeks of the Democratic governor being able to dominate media coverage as he leads the state through the pandemic and into a reopening process, it isn’t lost on Sales that Bullock is getting a ‘backdrop of credibility,’ as he’s seen by the public with other officials.” It certainly doesn’t hurt a recent poll from MSU shows Bullock’s Covid-19 response approval rating at 70 percent, versus 48 percent for Daines. The same poll has Bullock edging out the incumbent Daines by 7 percentage points, with 46 percent of voters responding they’ll vote for Bullock and 39 percent responding similarly for Daines. Montana’s race is seen as a key battleground for control of the U.S. Senate, with Bullock jumping into the race after visits from President Obama and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer quelled his reluctance. “That’s going to be a dog fight and Steve Daines is in the fight of his life in my opinion,” Montana Senate President Scott Sales, a Daines supporter running for Montana’s Secretary of State, told The Daily Beast. “And I think Bullock is well positioned. He’s going to be extremely competitive.”