It will be Rehberg vs. McDonald in Nov. 2 election

Rep. Denny Rehberg staved off an opponent's attempt to capitalize on a national surge in conservatism and voter anger toward incumbents, easi ly winning the Republican primary Tuesday in his bid for a sixth term as Montana's sole congressman.

Rehberg defeated political newcomers Mark French, a laboratory scientist from Paradise, and A.J. Otjen, a marketing professor at Montana State University-Billings. He now goes on to face Democratic nominee Dennis McDonald in the Nov. 2 general election.

"I don't think that anybody missed the message that the electorate and Montanans, as well, are upset with the direction of the country," Rehberg said Tuesday night from Washington, D.C. "I just appreciate Montanans giving me a vote of confidence to carry the banner forward."

French had tried to tap into a tea party-led conservative surge by painting himself as a far right "constitutional candidate," and portraying Rehberg as a Washington insider complicit in the federal government's intrusion into ordinary Americans' lives.

"These people are waking up, and they're learning about the constitution," French said.

"They're seeing the degradation of our nation into socialism.

They're a group of people wanting to take our country back, and I support them."

But Rehberg wasn't as vulnerable as GOP incumbents in other races around the country, said James Lopach, chairman of the University of Montana pol i t ical science department. He is a small-government, low-tax, minimal-regulation Republican who hasn't done anything to anger anybody to his political right, Lopach said.

"It would be hard for a primary opponent to drive a wedge between him and the right wing of his party," Lopach said.

With 677 of 792 precincts reporting, Rehberg captured more than 75 percent of the vote, compared with just under 19 percent for French. Otjen won less than 6 percent of the vote.