Populist Democrat wins Montana seat

HELENA, Mont. --With his flattop haircut, scuffed cowboy boots and three missing fingers from an accident with a meat grinder, Democrat Jon Tester did not have to remind voters that he was an outsider to Washington and what he called its "culture of corruption."

The 50-year-old organic farmer and state Senate president rode that populist horse all the way to a Senate seat, capitalizing on voter disgruntlement over corruption and the war in Iraq to oust Republican Sen. Conrad Burns in a squeaker.

Burns, 71, had not helped his own cause, with close ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and verbal gaffes that included cursing at a hotshot firefighting crew in a state that sees thousands of acres burn every summer.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Tester had 198,032 votes, or 49.1 percent, to Burns' 194,904 votes, or 48.3 percent. Tester's win gave Democrats at least half the U.S. Senate, but the party still needed a victory in a tight Virginia race to gain control.

"One hundred thousand miles and 15 hours later, here we did it," Tester said Wednesday. "It is absolutely, critically important that we change the direction of the country.

"Now is the time to come together and put politics aside."

Burns did not immediately concede. In a statement Wednesday, he said Tester ran a good race and has the lead "but it is extremely close."

"The state of Montana has a process in place, and it is our obligation to see it through," Burns said. "There is no need to rush to a conclusion when the votes are this close."

If the margin of victory ends up within half of a percentage point -- roughly 2,000 votes -- Burns could request a recount.

Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson, a Republican, said officials do not expect that to happen. "The margin appears to be too broad," he said.

The campaign was bitter and expensive from the start.

Tester portrayed himself as a Western moderate who owns guns, opposes gay marriage and has a libertarian's suspicion of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act. He hammered Burns over his ties to Abramoff. Burns was a top recipient of campaign contributions from Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to corruption. Burns has since returned or donated about $150,000, but maintained he did nothing wrong and was not influenced by the lobbyist.

Burns was first elected in 1988 as a folksy, backslapping outsider, but Tester played the role of Washington outsider this time.

While Burns was joined on the campaign trail by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Tester resisted most help from his national party, saying he wanted to run the campaign his way -- from Montana.

Tester surprised many here in June when he beat a better-financed and better-known Democrat in the primary. Later he relied on rallies with the state's popular governor, Democrat Brian Schweitzer, and Sen. Max Baucus.

Burns tried to paint Tester as a liberal who wants to raise taxes and "cut and run" from Iraq, and focused on his ability as a veteran senator to bring in federal money.