Poll: Rehberg maintains narrow lead over Tester in Montana

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) has maintained a narrow lead over Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in the battle for Tester’s seat, according to a new poll from the Democratic-affiliated Public Policy Polling.

Rehberg’s lead over Tester is within the poll’s margin of error, at 47 percent to 45 percent. The 2-point Rehberg lead is the same as it has been in PPP’s two earlier polls of the race, in June and one year ago.

Tester leads among independents and is better liked than Rehberg, but he draws little support from Republicans in the state. President Obama might be dragging Tester down: His favorable rating is at just 39 percent in the state.

Outside groups on both sides of the aisle have been spending heavily in the state, combining on $1.5 million on ads already this year and likely contributing to a decline in both candidates’ favorability numbers with voters. But the poll indicates that neither side has had success pushing the race their way.

The poll of 1,625 registered Montana voters was conducted from Nov. 28-30 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.