Montana's House and Senate races are tightening, giving hope to the challengers; new ads trumpet Trump support and guns; and the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination process could be a wild-card in the congressional contests. Sally Mauk, Chuck Johnson and Rob Saldin analyse this week's campaign news now, on "Campaign Beat."

Governor Steve Bullock is creating a bipartisan working-group to develop a plan to reduce premiums for people who buy health insurance on the federal marketplace. A Montana Healthcare Foundation study found that reinsurance programs insulate insurers from very high claims and save consumers money .

Senator Jon Tester says he’s concerned about Congress’ ability to pass numerous spending bills necessary to keep the federal government operating by the end of this month’s deadline. Last year a similar time crunch led to Congress passing a so-called omnibus bill. Critics say omnibus bills lack the transparency of passing multiple appropriation bills under so-called “regular order.”

Montana is preparing to replace its more than decade-old voter registration system as part of a federal grant program to improve election security. However, Secretary of State Corey Stapleton says not all those improvements will be in place ahead of the 2018 midterms.

Organizations that provide care for people with mental health problems in Montana say they’ve reached an agreement with the state health department to redesign a big portion of the system they work in.

President Donald Trump signed a bill sponsored by Senator Jon Tester Monday that will give additional resources to treat veterans in the criminal justice system across the country. Tester served as chief co-sponsor of the “Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act,” which passed the Senate unanimously in February of this year.

Donald Trump Jr . is returning to Montana to campaign for Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Matt Rosendale next week. The president’s son was in Billings in June for the same purpose.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Glendive, where Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Matt Rosendale lives. He appeared at the local VFW post. About 40 people sat around folding tables eating pie and ice cream before the event, where he’ll repeat his strongest campaign theme: That he’ll be a faithful soldier for President Donald Trump.

A campaign finance watchdog group has filed a complaint against U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale of Montana and the National Rifle Association's lobbying arm. The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center alleges in the Federal Election Commission complaint filed Monday that the Montana Republican and the gun-rights group illegally coordinated an NRA ad buy this month.

New ads in the Senate race go after ethics pledges, campaign finance violations — and feature the inevitable cow. The booming economy and the Trump factor are featured in new ads in the House race. And last but not least, a new ad appeals to Montana beer drinkers. We break down the latest ads and issues in the congressional races, right now on "Campaign Beat."