Exclusive: Democrats in a fight to keep Montana blue, Peters says

• Peters, who runs Senate Democrats' campaign arm, told Axios' Hans Nichols that Montana is "clearly" the toughest race in November.
• He also pointed to Ohio — where Sen. Sherrod Brown is seeking re-election — as another one of the party's most difficult seats to defend.
• Important to remember: Tester is not attending the DNC this week. Instead, he's back home in Montana campaigning.

The big picture: Tester "knows how to win" in the state and is a "central casting character for Montana," Peters said.

• Over $205 million has been spent on the Montana Senate race already this cycle, making it one of the three most expensive races on the map.
• Peters pointed out that neither Montana nor Ohio is a presidential battleground state, meaning Vice President Harris will not be campaigning in either before November.

Between the lines: Tester will have to outrun Harris in Montana by a strong margin if he has any chance of winning — an outcome Peters said was possible.

• Peters pointed out that Montana's relatively small population of just over 1 million people benefits Tester's retail politics skills.