Tester Has Ten Times More Cash Than Rosendale
Republican Senate candidate Matt Rosendale has about one-tenth as much cash as Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester. Even though Matt Rosendale has strong support from the White House, he is raising less money.
Coming off an expensive, four-way Republican primary battle, Rosendale reported $640,000 in cash on hand as of June 30. Tester reported $6.1 million.
Rosendale, Montana's state auditor, stands to get a boost from appearances on his behalf by President Donald Trump earlier this month and Vice President Mike Pence this week.
Tester, is benefiting from outside money, by groups such as the League of Conservation Voters, which spent almost $1 million in ads attacking Rosendale's record on public lands.
"Rosendale has to give people a positive reason to vote for him. If he doesn't have money, he can't do that, and that's a problem," Montana State University political analyst David Parker said. "He's not just competing against Jon Tester. He's competing against all the other Senate candidates running around the country for resources."
Republicans think Tester is vulnerable because Trump won in Montana by 20 percentage points.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Story)