Political handicapper shifts Montana Senate to ‘leans Republican’ as Tester falls behind

A top political handicapper has changed its prediction for the November Senate election in Montana to show an advantage for Republicans as Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has begun to slip in polling. 

The battle between Tester and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, was shifted from a "toss up" to "leans Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics on Friday, with less than nine weeks until the election. 

The rating change...