WINNER: Jon Tester

R: Sen. Conrad Burns (incumbent)
D: state Sen. Jon Tester

Race Breakdown
Populist, flat top-sporting John Tester has leapt ahead of three-term Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns. In this conservative state, many voters have turned against Burns over his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from whom the senator accepted more money than any other member of Congress. Tester and the Democrats are definitely using this scandal to their advantage, pinning it as another example of the widespread corruption within the Republican party.

Meanwhile, Burns has tried to label Tester a liberal. Tester, a state senator and organic farmer with long family ties to Montana, opposes the PATRIOT Act – a stance that Burns has blasted him for. Burns has made several gaffes that have earned him some public rebuke, like when he criticized and cursed at a crew of firefighters for what he said was doing a bad job.

A mid-October poll had Tester with 46 percent of the vote to Burns’ 35 percent.

Learn More:

John Tester for U.S. Senate
Conrad Burns.com
AP: “Mont. senator in fight of political life”

WAR AND NATIONAL SECURITY

IRAQ

Burns voted against the Kerry troop redeployment amendment. He said we must stay the course in Iraq. In a recent debate, he said, “there is no substitute for winning, and we are.”

Tester wants an exit strategy for troops in Iraq and believes some more soldiers should be sent to Afghanistan and “other front in the war on terror.”

TERRORISM STRATEGIES

Burns supported the PATRIOT Act reauthorization and has defended the law, saying that it does not take away civil liberties.

Tester does not support the PATRIOT Act and has called for its repeal. Instead, he wants more investment in Special Forces and human intelligence. He wants more funding given to homeland security to protect borders and ports.

EDUCATION

STUDENT LOANS AND GRANTS

Burns supported a reduction in federal overall spending on student loans and voted against an increase in the maximum federal Pell Grant.

Tester wants to make college affordable for Montana families and will support student lending programs in Senate. He helped pass the Governor’s Best and Brightest Program as president of Montana Senate which provides more scholarships to Montana students at state colleges and universities.

SCHOOLS

Burns supported No Child Left Behind, but he said it needs to be more flexible for Montana’s rural schools. He voted against additional education funding, but he says NCLB may require more funding for states.

Tester wants to repeal No Child Left Behind because it removes accountability from local school boards. He has also called the law under-funded.

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

HABITAT vs. OIL

Burns has long supported drilling in the Arctic, and says there are many other untapped resources that can be explored “without environmental damage.”

Tester does not directly state that he is against oil production in ANWR, but he says drilling in ANWR will only serves the country’s short-term needs, and will not solve the country’s dependence on oil in the long-term.

ENERGY IDEAS

Burns supported the Bush energy package and opposed a bill calling for a goal of a 40 percent reduction in dependence on foreign oil by 2025.

Tester believes that America needs to strengthen its own energy resources to lessen dependence on foreign oil. He wants to invest in bio-fuel technology and other renewable energies. He wants a 15-year extension for the federal Production Tax Credit for wind power development.

ECONOMY

MINIMUM WAGE

Burns opposed a Democratic effort to raise the minimum wage while supporting a Republican bill. He supports a wage increase as long as it doesn’t harm small businesses.

Tester supports raising the federal minimum wage. In the Montana Senate in 2005, he voted in favor of bill to raise Montana’s minimum wage to $6 per hour by July 2006.

TAXES

Burns supported the Bush tax cuts and is an advocate of tax reform. His campaign site states that he has “never seen a tax cut [he] didn’t like.”

Tester believes Bush’s tax cuts are irresponsible, saying they only benefiting the rich. He wants to focus tax cuts on the middle class, such as the college tax credit. He says lowering state taxes will cause an increase in local property tax. Tester believes in giving tax credits to small businesses to provide health insurance for employees.

CRIME

JUVENILE CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Burns opposed a 1999 juvenile criminal justice bill that would have caused more juveniles to be tried as adults and increased funding for juvenile crime programs.

Tester has no record of a position on juvenile crime and punishment.

HATE CRIMES

Burns voted in favor of a failed federal hate crimes bill that would have expanded the definition of a “hate crime” and increased funding for local investigation and prosecution.

Tester has no record of a position on hate crimes law.

—NM