Battleground Montana

A Republican National Committee consultant confirms that the RNC is buying television ads in Montana, which hasn't backed a Democratic presidential nominee since Bill Clinton in 1992.

The ads go up Wednesday, the consultant to the RNC's independent arm, Brad Todd, said.

Obama's campaign has been active in the state, however, and recent public polls have given the Democrat reasons for hope: Most are in the single digits, and the most recent has Obama ahead.

The state also has real Democratic infrastructure: The governor and both senators are Democrats.

The RNC's move reflects a map that's as broad as the Obama campaign could have dreamed, and that's forcing the Republicans to spread their limited resources thinner and thinner.

CORRECTION: I initially overstated how long it's been since Montana went blue.