Democrats confront tough political landscape awaiting in November

BUTTE Congressional candidate John Lewis had some frank words for fellow Montana Democrats at this weekends party convention, saying they have a steep hill to climb if they hope to succeed in November elections.

This going to be a tough election; lets be honest, he said Friday night. John Walsh and I Were not well-known. Its going to take a lot of work to change that.

Lewis, the Democratic nominee for Montanas open U.S. House seat, then brought the partisan crowd to its feet with standard convention rhetoric, saying Democrats will outwork their Republican counterparts and win.

But in private conversations at the weekend platform convention, Democrats of all stripes acknowledged that what Lewis said out loud Friday night is true: Montana Democrats face a precarious political landscape in 2014.

President Barack Obama is unpopular in Montana, and Republicans hope to exploit that fact, tying him to Democrats running for Congress and the Legislature. A non-presidential election year also means lower voter turnout, hurting Democrats, as it did in 2010, when they lost 18 seats in the Montana House.

Democrats lack a well-known, charismatic candidate at the top of the ticket. Republicans, however, have U.S. Senate candidate Steve Daines, a better-known name who has shown he can raise big money, and whos been shown by most polls to have a double-digit lead over Democratic Sen. John Walsh as the general-election campaign begins.

It all adds up to what some consider a daunting road ahead for Democrats this election year in Montana but party officials, supporters and candidates say its far from over.

I think its difficult, but I dont think its undoable, said Eric Feaver, president of the MEA-MFT, the states largest labor union. I think this election has just begun.

Feaver and others said Lewis and Walsh need to come out swinging, punching hard against Daines and Republican U.S. House candidate Ryan Zinke, telling voters forcefully how the parties respective candidates differ on issues like abortion, health care, education, public lands and the role of government.

If hard-hitting attacks can soften up the GOP opposition, funders of outside-money groups will see that the races may be close, and start stepping in to provide some needed help, Democratic officials said.

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Democrats confront tough political landscape awaiting in November