Now there are seven

Montana — Republican Sen. Conrad Burns
Conrad Burns is carrying some heavy baggage in his race for a fourth Montana Senate term. And he packed most of it himself. First, the Republican is dogged by the perception that he has "gone Washington" and has lost touch with Montana's voters and values. Second, he has been caught up in the Jack Abramoff scandal. While the question of whether Burns is under investigation for his (or his staff's) dealings with Abramoff is still being debated, the fact that Abramoff's clients and associates contributed $150,000 to Burns's leadership PAC is definitely hurting his re-election prospects. Finally, Burns is running in a difficult political environment for Republicans in a state that elected a Democratic governor two years ago.

Since late January, Burns has aired just about every kind of political advertising on television and radio: ads that tout his accomplishments, that boast of his clout and seniority, that seek to define his opponent, and that attack the Democrats' attack ads.

Democratic nominee Jon Tester seems content to stay out of Burns's way, letting the senator trip over his own ill-considered statements, the most notorious being his insulting firefighters battling forest fires in the state. Recently, Burns has stepped up his efforts to depict Tester as too liberal for Montana, pointing to the Democrat's comment that he would repeal the USA PATRIOT Act [PDF] and accusing him of supporting tax increases.

Burns has been trailing since the June primary. Recent polls, though, indicate that he is beginning to close the gap. GOP strategists credit their efforts to portray Tester as a liberal. Still, Burns does not have time on his side. And Tester is getting plenty of help from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which has been running TV ads hammering the senator on a host of issues.

Burns's battle will continue to be difficult.

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