Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an election handicapper, has reportedly repositioned the Montana Senate race in favor of Republican challenger Tim Sheehy over incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
This decision was made in response to recent polling data, which indicated that the businessman was leading by six points.
The Senate election was moved from a “toss-up” to a “leans Republican” by Sabato’s.
In its decision, the handicapper acknowledged that it was on the brink of making the change when it published its Senate update on Thursday.
However, it wanted to see a more information before labeling Tester, a three-term senator, as a “underdog.”
Additional information was disclosed on Thursday evening when an AARP-commissioned poll revealed that Sheehy had 51 percent support among prospective voters, as opposed to Tester’s 45 percent.
After the inclusion of Libertarian and Green Party candidates, Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, maintained an eight-point lead over the senator, with a percentage of 49 percent to 41 percent.
However, the editor claims that the Senate Democrat will be unable to maintain the upper chamber’s majority if he or she loses in the state, unless the Democratic Party is able to reclaim a seat that is currently held by a Republican.
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