At this writing, the Montana Senate race was too close, and too early, to call. With just over half of precincts reporting, Republican Matt Rosendale appears to have pulled ahead of Democratic senator Jon Tester by a few thousand votes. As Sean Trende notes here, the race appears closer than expected, and exit-poll results were bullish on Rosendale. But Tester is performing well in Missoula and Helena, and tens of thousands of votes have yet to report from Missoula, Gallatin, and Lewis and Clark Counties. Those should break for Tester. Early margins in Gallatin look good for the incumbent:
Here's a look at the early Gallatin Co. numbers that @politico is reporting. #mtpol #ElectionNight #MTSEN pic.twitter.com/eKfz7g9G25
— Whitney Bermes (@wabermes) November 7, 2018
Then again, some reliably Republican counties (e.g. Beaverhead) have yet to report, so it’s still anyone’s guess which way the seat leans. This will be a close race that goes late into the night. Either Republicans will capitalize and take yet another Senate seat in a favorable state, or, as in West Virginia, the Democratic incumbent with a decent reputation will manage to stay alive. See you on the other side.