Incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mt.) is trailing Republican rival Tim Sheehy by 8 points in the Montana Senate race, according to the latest survey from The New York Times/Siena College.
The polling, released Thursday, shows Sheehy garnering 52 percent support from likely voters in the state compared to Tester’s 44 percent. Four percent were undecided on who they would back in the race or did not reveal their preferred candidate.
The race, one of the most hotly contested in the upper chamber, could influence which party controls the Senate next session — as Democrats currently have a razor-thin majority.
Roughly 55 percent of likely voters in the Treasure State said they were in favor of Republicans controlling the Senate in January, according to the survey. On the other side, 37 percent said they favored a Democratic-controlled upper chamber.
The numbers come after the two candidates took to the debate stage last month. During the forum, Sheehy acknowledged that he had made “insensitive” comments about Native Americans, but did not apologize.
Last month, Cook Political Report shifted the Montana Senate race from “toss up” to “lean Republican.” GOP lawmakers and allies have zeroed in on defeating Tester in November.
The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s aggregate of Montana polls shows Sheehy ahead of the incumbent by 7.3 points — 51.4 percent and 44.1 percent.
The Times/Siena poll was conducted between Oct. 5-8 among 656 Montana voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
