Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana to run for Senate

[The Northerner]

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) is set to announce that he will run for Senate, setting up a likely contest with Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in 2012.

The Republican congressman will make his plans known on Saturday, a source with knowledge of those plans told The Fix. The news was first reported on late Monday by Roll Call.

Rehberg represents the GOP's prized recruit in Montana, and he makes the race instantly competitive in a way that no other Republican would have. A recent poll from Democratic-leaning automated pollster Public Policy Polling showed he and Tester in a statistical tie, with Rehberg at 48 percent and Tester at 46 percent.

Tester remains personally popular in the state, so it was key for Republicans to land a top contender to run against him. The two men had virtually identical approval ratings in the PPP poll.

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/rep-denny-rehberg-to-run-for-s.html