President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign manager will help his former colleague, John Lewis, a Democrat who faces a tough challenge in the at-large House seat race in Montana. Jim Messina sent a fundraising email to boost Lewis, who worked with him in the office of Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. "And as someone personally invested in the progress and success of Big Sky Country, I know he’s the right person to represent this great state in Congress," Messina wrote on Thursday. A veteran operative in Montana, Messina served as chief of staff to Baucus before he joined Obama's operation. Baucus will retire after this Congress, creating a domino effect in Big Sky State politics. Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., will likely run for Baucus' Senate seat in 2014, leaving a wide-open race for the state's only House seat. (more…)
