Burns May Be Bouncing Back

But his candidacy has had to absorb a bombshell in the past month. A report in the Billings Gazette disclosed that Morrison had a two-month affair in 1998 with a woman who later married a Montana businessman investigated by his office.

To conduct that 2001 securities fraud investigation, Morrison said in an interview, he hired an outside attorney and told people in his office about the affair and the possible conflict of interest. The auditor's office settled with the businessman and ordered him to refund money to investors, although he never did, according to the Billings Gazette. The businessman was later convicted on federal charges and is now in prison.

"The case was handled in our office completely appropriately," Morrison said. "I don't think it is going to hurt our campaign at all." As for the affair, Morrison, who is married with two daughters, said, "Cathy and I are stronger in our marriage than we have ever been. Voters do not require that the people they elect to political office have had perfect marriages."

If he wins the Democratic primary, Morrison said his affair and the fallout it had on a criminal investigation would "not at all" compromise his credibility in attacking ethical lapses in the relationship between Burns and Abramoff.

"I was faced with a complex situation, and I did the right thing for the people of Montana," Morrison said. "Conrad Burns was faced with an easy situation, and he did the wrong thing by trading votes for money."

Others are not so sure.

Harris, the political analyst at Montana State, said news of the affair "will make Morrison's task much more difficult."

In the Denny's near the interstate, Hill, the retired railroad man, said Morrison would become "a pot calling the kettle black."

So far, Burns has said nothing about the affair, but it seems certain to come up, if Morrison and Burns win their respective primaries. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which distributes money to candidates, will not be shy about publicizing the affair, said Brian Nick, spokesman for the committee.

"Morrison has got his own ethical baggage," Nick said. "So his attempt to level criticism at Burns or anybody else is really going to fall on deaf ears."

The likely beneficiary of Morrison's problems is state Sen. Jon Tester, a broad-shouldered, soft-spoken farmer from Big Sandy, Mont., who is also president of the Montana Senate. He has struggled to raise money in his first statewide race -- even though the rock band Pearl Jam performed at a fundraiser for him (bassist Jeff Ament is a friend from Big Sandy) -- but that problem would likely disappear if he won the primary.

"Morrison is better-spoken, younger, cuter, but there is nothing bad out there about Tester," Harris said. "Tester is a smart, thoughtful guy and a dirt farmer. He will play well with a lot of Montanans."

In an interview, Tester, 49, declined to comment on Morrison's affair, saying only "that is up to the voters to decide." He said he would defeat Morrison because of "my leadership and my profile as a family farmer. Farmers tend to be in vogue right now."

Tester was referring to Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a farmer himself and a garrulous Democrat who is by far the most popular politician in the state, with 70 percent approval ratings. Schweitzer narrowly lost to Burns in the 2000 Senate race, and the two men are not friends.

If Tester wins the nomination and runs against Burns, he says that Schweitzer is "going to be very, very helpful."