Tester Maintaing Lead Over Burns in Montana Senate Race

By Courtney Lowery, 11-07-06

	Caption: ABOVE: The Tester crowd at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls reacts to results posted on the Burns/Tester race. BELOW: Tester at about 7:30 p.m., waiting for polls to close. Photos by Mark Maher.

Updated: 10:32 MST With results now in from several more counties, including those rural counties in the center and eastern part of the state, Democrat Jon Tester is maintaining his lead over Incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns with 38 percent of the precincts counted.

CBS News is reporting with 331 of 867 precicts reporting:

Tester: 53 percent
Burns: 45 percent

According to the Secretary of State's office, the numbers are more favorable to Tester, but there's no percentage on precincts reporting. According to the SOS office the results look like this:

Tester: 69,427 votes, 55 percent
Burns: 53,892 votes, 42 percent

In Yellowstone County Tester leads by about 700 votes. Billings is often thought of as Montana's hinge city and so far, such a big lead in Yellowstone County means good things for Jon Tester. Naturally, he's leading by a huge margin in Missoula County and he's also winning big in Cascade County and Silver Bow, which is fairly predictable.

Burns is leading in Big Horn, Carbon, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Golden Valley, Granite, Lincoln, Pondera, Powell, Prarie, Rosebud, Sanders and Teton Counties.

At the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, where Tester supporters have gathered, the scene was one of confidence. In Billings, where Burns and his supporters are spending the evening, folks were saying it's too early to tell who's going to win. Spokesman Jason Klindt said on TV just a second ago that these early returns are mostly from Western Montana, so aren't as indictative.

The Associated Press has already projected a win for Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg over Democrat Monica Lindeen in the U.S. House Race. But, with 32 of 867 precincts reporting, Rehberg leads 54 percent to 45 percent. The AP has also projected a victory for the minimum wage raise initiative. With 28 of 867 precincts reporting, the initiative is leading 75 percent to 25 percent.

Elsewhere on the ballot the results look like this so far:

C43: Change the name of state auditor to insurance commissioner:
For: 20,588 votes
Against: 36,602 votes

I-151: Raise the state minimum wage to the greater of either $6.15 an hour or the federal minimum wage plus cost-of-living annual adjustment:
For: 47,161
Against: 14,528

I-153: To prohibit certain state officials and staff from becoming lobbyists within 24 moths after leaving state government.
For: 47,291
Against: 12,597 [End of article]