Poll shows Daines, Bullock neck and neck in Montana Senate race

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) and Sen. Steve Daines (R) are tied in the race for Daines’s Senate seat, according to a poll released Thursday from left-leaning pollster Public Policy Polling (PPP).

The poll found 47 percent support for both Bullock and Daines, with 6 percent undecided. The survey also found plurality approval for both, with 45 percent viewing Daines favorably compared to 42 percent unfavorably, and Bullock with 49 percent favorable and 40 percent unfavorable.

Bullock led with independent voters in the poll 50 to 42 percent.

PPP also found Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) underwater in the state, with 47 percent viewing him unfavorably to 31 percent who view him unfavorably.

The survey also found a tight race for Montana’s open House seat, which will be vacated by Rep. Greg Gianforte (R), who is running for governor. Former state Rep. Kathleen Williams (D), Gianforte’s 2018 challenger, was tied with state Auditor Matt Rosendale (R), both with 45 percent support with 9 percent undecided.

The poll was conducted March 12-13 among 903 Montana voters by telephone. It has a 3.3-point margin of error.

Bullock, a former presidential candidate, announced his Senate run earlier this month, with the party viewing the seat as a top pickup opportunity. Bullock is the second former presidential candidate recruited for a Senate race, after former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).