Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 10.15.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
OCTOBER 15, 2014 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
INFLUENZA
The flu has arrived in Montana and plagued its first victim in Cascade County.
EBOLA
The virus that has sickened and killed thousands in Africa is continuing to make inroads into the U.S. Last week, Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas became the first patient in the U.S. to die from the virus.
RECORD
Glacier National Park has welcomed a record num- ber of people this year, its busiest ever in its 104-year history. As of Sept. 30, more than 2.23 million people vis- ited the park.
HUNTING SEASON
It’s almost time to get buck fever. Montana’s annual youth-only deer hunt is Oct. 16-17, and then the general big game hunting season opens statewide Oct. 25 and ends Nov. 30. Good luck and stay safe!
AGENCY ON AGING
The Flathead County Com-
missioners reaffirmed their plans to create a new building for the Agency on Aging and tried to dispel any rumors that its programs would be privatized in the future.
U.S. Senate Race Pits GOP
Congressman Against
Democratic Newcomer
In a race defined by dramatic shifts, Montana’s open Senate seat remains a likely Republican pick-up
Steve Daines speaks at the U.S. Senate debate at Montana Tech in Butte on June 14. Amanda Curtis meets with Flathead Valley residents on Aug. 27. BEACON FILE PHOTO BEACON FILE PHOTO
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
The political landscape surrounding
Montana’s race for an open U.S. Senate seat has shifted dramatically in the past year, and yet despite its filigree of fault lines and revolving cast of candidates, the projected outcome of the General Election has been defined by stability.
On Nov. 4, sitting Republican Con- gressman Steve Daines hopes to do what no Republican has accomplished in more than a century by defeating newcomer Amanda Curtis in a race that could help decide which party controls the U.S. Sen- ate.
Not since former governor Joseph Dix-
on held the seat in 1907 has a Republican sat in the Montana U.S. Senate seat on the ticket this election. But the magnitude of the race’s recent vicissitudes – most nota- bly the decision by incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. John Walsh to bow out amid pla- giarism allegations – means that Daines is poised to make history.
Even when the race was decidedly more cutthroat, Daines was considered a favorite, and most political pundits have declared Montana’s Senate race a safe Re- publican pickup in November.
It helps that Daines, the state’s lone U.S. Representative, has enjoyed the ad- vantage of statewide name recognition, as well as access to the deep pockets of
donors, raising more than $1.8 million for his campaign between July and Septem- ber with $1.6 million on hand for the final weeks of the race.
Curtis, a 35-year-old math teacher from Butte, is the Democratic nominee to replace Walsh. If she wins, she would be the youngest U.S. senator in Washington, D.C.
In two months, her nascent campaign has raised $500,000, which is evidence of her hustle and energy, but still leaves her trailing by a wide margin.
Libertarian candidate Roger Roots is also on the ballot, though his campaign
See Senate PAGE 26
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