Poll: Tester leads GOP challenger by 4 in Montana

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is leading his Republican opponent Matt Rosendale by 4 points in his Senate reelection bid in Montana, according to a poll released Tuesday.

A new Gravis Marketing survey found Tester ahead of Rosendale, 49 to 45 percent, just outside of the poll’s margin of error. Six percent of likely voters in Montana remain undecided.

In the poll, Tester is leading Rosendale by double digits among independent voters, 55 to 34.3 percent. Tester also holds double-digit edges with female voters and young voters between the ages of 18 and 29.

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Rosendale, Montana’s state auditor, has a 10-point advantage with male voters as well as slim leads among voters between the ages of 50 and 64 and those who are 65 and older.

Polls have shown a close Senate race between Tester and Rosendale. A recent poll from CBS News/YouGov had Tester up 2 points, within the survey’s 5.2 percent margin of error. The RealClearPolitics polling average has Tester ahead by 3 points.

Tester is one of 10 Senate Democrats up for reelection in a state that President Trump won in 2016. He won Montana by a little more than 20 points.

The incumbent senator has sought to highlight a working relationship with the president, highlighting the number of bills that Trump has signed into law.

But Trump has criticized Tester at campaign-style rallies held in Montana to boost Rosendale.

And Rosendale, who’s cast himself as a close ally of the White House, recently announced that Vice President Mike Pence will travel to the state to campaign with him on Oct. 2.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 19 to 22 and surveyed 710 likely voters in Montana. The margin of error was 3.7 percentage points.