Obama's campaign has been saying for months that they are serious about winning Montana in the fall -- and it's starting to look like they've known what they were talking about.

Barack is leading John McCain by five points in the most recent poll in the state, perhaps explaining why he chose to spend the Fourth of July in Butte. And, as you can see, he's getting the front page treatment from the local media.

I wouldn't have predicted Montana in a million years if you'd asked me a month ago where he'd spend his Fourth of July, but perhaps I shouldn't be quite so surprised -- although Democratic presidential candidates have fared poorly in the state, the most popular politician in Montana is its Democratic governor, and both of its Senators are Democrats.