The presidential candidates are scrapping for votes everywhere, even in Montana, with its mere 17 delegates, as they battle for the Democratic nomination. Montana’s delegates will be divvied up based on results of the June 3 Democratic presidential primary.
On the eve of their speeches at a Montana Democratic Party event in Butte Saturday night and Missoula appearances by Obama Saturday and Clinton on Sunday, state Democratic Chairman Dennis McDonald could hardly contain his enthusiasm.
More than 4,000 people will pack into the Butte Civic Center Saturday night for the annual Mansfield-Metcalf dinner, and large crowds are expected for Obama and Clinton in Missoula.
“I really think it will help all our candidates top to bottom,” McDonald said. “We have a lot of new Democrats participating in the process. I think not only independents but middle-of-the-road Republicans are looking at our party and our candidates favorably. I expect them to participate as Democrats in greater numbers.”
McDonald is hopeful that whichever Democrat wins the party’s nomination can carry Montana. That’s a tall order in a state where Republicans have won the president’s race all but three times since 1948.
“These are unusual times,” McDonald said, predicting “a tidal wave” because of what’s been happening nationally.
“I don’t want to be too optimistic, but I’m confident,” he said. “I think we have a good chance.”
State Republican Chairman Erik Iverson of Missoula applauded Montana Democrats for attracting Clinton and Obama for their dinner, but isn’t buying McDonald’s theory.
“A rally like this where you have the two national leaders of your party is big for Montana Democrats, and they deserve to be excited and feel proud about it,” Iverson said.
But the way to test McDonald’s theory is “to see how many statewide Democratic candidates want to be seen shaking hands, glad-handing, smiling, clapping and appearing on the stage with Senator Clinton and Senator Obama,” much less photographed with them, Iverson said. That’s a photo any Republican candidate would love to use against that Democrat, he said.
“There isn’t a Montana Republican that wouldn’t want to be on a stage with John McCain, and I think that’s in contrast with Democrats,” Iverson said.
Over the past decade, Montana Democrats have tried to “rebrand” themselves into what Iverson called “Republican Lite.”
“They’ve tried to be more conservative on guns and taxes and spending, but they govern like Democrats,” he said.
In a separate interview, Craig Wilson, a political scientist and pollster from Montana State University-Billings, said the visits by Clinton and Obama might help mobilize volunteers for the Democratic Party.
His polls have shown Obama to be more popular than Clinton in Montana, Wilson said, but “neither Obama nor Hillary is popular in Montana compared to McCain.”
The political scientist predicted that U.S. Sen. Max Baucus and Gov. Brian Schweitzer, both up for re-election this year, would keep their distance from Obama and Clinton.
“In the fall, if you see a picture with Schweitzer or Baucus with Obama or Hillary, it may well be paid for by the Republican Party,” Wilson said.
Meanwhile, Butte, the blue-collar city that is Montana’s traditional Democratic stronghold, is preparing for another mega-event to rival its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and Evel Knievel’s funeral last year.
“It’s been a huge week for Butte to have President (Bill) Clinton here on Tuesday night and now Saturday night, senators Obama and Clinton,” said Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Paul Babb.
“This is history in the making. The eyes of the country and the world are on Butte, Montana.”
The public works staff has been out sweeping the streets, he said.
“The town is just abuzz,” Babb said. “It’s just going to be a great day for business and a great day for Butte. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Some hotel rooms are still available in Butte, said Marko Lucich, executive director of the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce. However, there are no more tickets available for the Democratic dinner.
“We sold out this dinner before we even knew that either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton would be here,” Democratic Chairman McDonald said. “We sold 2,000 balcony seats in seven minutes (on the computer). Over the next two hours, we had 10,000 more hits. There is probably no limit on the number of tickets we could have sold.”
Inside the Butte Civic Center, Democrats are transforming the storied basketball arena into something else.
“It looks great,” said Kevin O’Brien, spokesman for the Montana Democratic Party. “We’re going to have folks here from all over the state.”
“It’s going be like a rock concert,” said Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser. “We have state-of-the-art sound, lighting, multiple video screens. The goal is to make sure that every single person in this building can see and hear this historic event.”
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