Poll: Baucus gets beat in 2014 Dem primary

A Public Policy Polling poll shows Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) beating Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in a primary.

The PPP poll said Schweitzer would win 51 percent of voters in a Montana Democratic
primary. The survey showed Baucus would collect only 34 percent support.

{mosads}The survey also showed Schweitzer had more appeal than Baucus among moderate and somewhat liberal Democrats. Baucus was more popular among conservative Democrats.

PPP, a Democratic polling firm, found that 81 percent of respondents
approved of Schweitzer, while 70 percent approved of Baucus. PPP surveyed 333 usual Montana Democratic primary voters and 382 usual
Republican primary voters from June 16 to June 19. The poll was not paid
for by a campaign or political organization.

Franklin Hall, a senior adviser to Schweitzer posted the poll on his Facebook page and flagged it for friends on Facebook as “very interesting”.
 
Hall did not return a message left on his voicemail at Schweitzer’s office in Helena. Sarah Elliot, a spokeswoman for Schweitzer, said Hall was on vacation and declined to comment further.
 
Schweitzer, a popular two-term governor, will leave office at the end of next year because of term limits. There has been speculation that he might challenge Baucus in the 2014 Senate Democratic primary.
 
Baucus was reelected to a sixth term in 2008 with 73 percent of the vote.