A new Rasmussen poll released this week shows the race for the Montana in a virtual dead heat. Pro-life Congressman Denny Rehberg (R) holds a two-point lead over pro-abortion incumbent Senator Jon Tester (D).
The poll, conducted among likely voters, shows Rehberg earning 49% to Tester’s 47%. 2% say they support another candidate and another 2% indicated they had not yet made up their mind on which candidate to back. The margin of error was 4.5%, meaning in essence the race could go either way.
While the Montana Senate race is neck and neck, the poll showed in the race for the presidency, Republican Mitt Romney easily carrying the state over President Obama. Romney holds a 51%-42% lead over Obama in the Treasure State.
Outgoing pro-abortion Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer said of his state, “In Montana, a Democrat is paddling the canoe upstream, always. There’s probably between a 6-10 percent advantage for [the] GOP camp, so you gotta paddle fast, gotta paddle hard, you can paddle a canoe upstream, just gotta work at it.” The presidential race will surely have a significant impact on the Senate race, a fact that could carry Rehberg across the finish line in the Senate race.
Tester has held the Montana Senate seat since 2006 when he rode the Democratic wave and ousted pro-life Republican Sen. Conrad Burns. In 2012, Planned Parenthood has made holding the seat one of its top priorities. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund has endorsed Tester, noting he holds a 100% rating with the organization. Tester earned the praise of the nation’s largest abortion provider by voting in favor of the pro-abortion Obama healthcare law and against the Pence Amendment to cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood commended Tester for urging House Oversight Subcommittee Chair Rep. Cliff Stearns to call off a federal investigation into the abortion provider’s alleged waste, abuse and potential fraud. Tester co-signed a letter saying, “At a time in our country when women rely on Planned Parenthood more than ever for essential health care, this invasive and baseless investigation is all the more reprehensible, and is an abuse of your oversight responsibilities. We urge you to immediately cease this investigation.”
Sen. Tester holds a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. Not only has Tester supported Planned Parenthood and the Obama healthcare plan, he voted in favor of expanding embryo-destructive research, taxpayer funding of abortion domestically and abroad and funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which aids the Chinese government in carrying out its oppressive One Child Policy. Tester also voted to confirm pro-abortion Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court.
Rep. Denny Rehberg provides a stark contrast to Tester’s pro-abortion record. Since entering Congress in January 2001, Rehberg has maintained a 100% lifetime rating from National Right to Life. He voted for key pro-life laws like the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. He has consistently opposed taxpayer funding of abortion and federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Rehberg opposed the pro-abortion Obama healthcare law and has voted to repeal it. Most recently, Rehberg joined his pro-life colleagues in supporting legislation to ban sex selection abortion.
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On Obamacare, Rehberg told Gerri Willis on Fox Business Network, “The House already passed legislation to repeal Obamacare, fulfilling the promise we made to the American people. Democrats in the Senate haven’t listened. They voted against the will of the people. But in this country, the power is with the People. So we’ll fight Obamacare in the courts. We’ll fight it in the state legislatures. We’ll fight it in the House. We’ll defund Obamacare one piece at a time. My amendment prevents funding from being used to implement Obamacare while we continue to work for a full legislative or judicial repeal.”
It comes as no surprise that Rehberg’s pro-life record has earned him the “Chump” label in Planned Parenthood’s “Women Are Watching” campaign. Rehberg is among good company on that list with Mitt Romney, Scott Walker, Allen West, Rick Santorum, Ann Marie Buerkle and Rick Perry.
The Montana Senate race is a must-win for Republicans, who are hoping to regain control of the US Senate. Taking back the Senate is also vital to the legislative success of the pro-life movement going forward. The current Democratic majority headed by pro-abortion Sen. Harry Reid has scuttled or prevented a vote on key pro-life legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House.
