Last night I got a "marketing poll" that asked a bunch of questions about the upcoming legislative session.
And they asked about the 2014 Senate race, wondering if I would be voting for Max Baucus or....Steve Daines.
Daines clearly has the desire to be a senator. Recall that he announced right after the 2010 elections he was a candidate for the Republican nomination in 2012. And--then he jumped to the House when Rehberg announced he was running for the Senate.
Will Daines run against Baucus? In some ways, he's the most obvious choice for the GOP. But in other ways, it is a risky bet. Daines has a lot to learn about governing, and he won't have time to do that if he has to throw together a Senate campaign. He'll have a voting record that--while short--will still allow Baucus to go after him in a way that Gillan couldn't during this election. Daines can raise a lot of money--but if you think the $10 million plus raised by Tester was a lot, watch out. Baucus, as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, can command incredible resources. His war chest will be enormous, and I'll bet we will start seeing ads soon.
Daines' best bet would be to lay low, work hard, and wait for an open seat. Baucus is not young, and if he is reelected, this might be his last term.
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