Why Have MT Dems Muzzled Their Senate Candidate?

Montana Democrats have put their latest US Senate candidate, Amanda Curtis (D-Butte), in a “straitjacket,” according to a liberal blogger from the Flathead Valley. 

James Conner’s Flathead Memo: Curtis should run a guerilla campaign that makes her interesting

Her campaign staff’s answer is obvious: message discipline. Keep her on her talking points, deflect or flat out refuse to answer uncomfortable questions, post as little as possible on her website and Facebook page, and block trackers even if that makes her staff look like bullies and diverts them from signing-up volunteers.

Curtis, however, has no time to run a conventional campaign. Early voting begins in a month. If she’s going to excite rank and file Democrats, generate enthusiasm among 18–29-year-old-voters, and by example lead young single women and mothers to the polls, she needs to run a guerilla campaign — a campaign that makes her as interesting as possible.

Conner also has a pretty comical rundown of former State Sen. Ken Toole (D-Helena) complaining about the fact that a Montana Public Radio reporter asked her about some of her posts supporting communists.  Toole didn’t think the question should have been asked.  Conner explains why the question was appropriate.  

You may recall my earlier post where I also asked why Curtis is dodging questions, even as Dems were touting Curtis as the new candidate of openness.  

Meanwhile…

Despite media hype, Amanda Curtis has gone nowhere. CBS Poll released 9/2 shows her still stuck at 35%. http://t.co/XliUY93Tnr #mtpol #mtsen

— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) September 7, 2014

Elsewhere, from Monday’s Politico Playbook:

SIREN – “NBC NEWS/MARIST POLL: GOP Senate candidates open up leads in key states: Arkansas: Cotton 45%, Pryor 40% … Kentucky: McConnell 47 %, Grimes 39% … Colorado : Udall 48%, Gardner 42%.” http://nbcnews.to/1qsCSc1
 

Comments