US Senate high stakes spur astronomical spending in Montana

BILLINGS, MT (AP) — Political groups fighting for control of the U.S. Senate have poured more than $118 million into the contest between Montana’s Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and Republican incumbent Steve Daines.

It’s a record-shattering figure for the sparsely-populated state and dwarfs spending on a per-voter basis in all other Senate battleground states.

The cash deluge comes amid growing Republican worries they could lose control of the chamber.

Democrats are trying to reverse a years-long GOP surge in Montana that included President Donald Trump winning the state by more than 20 percentage points in 2016.

The Iowa and North Carolina races are expected to have the most ad spending outright — at least $167 million each, according to Kantar/CMAG.