In one of the nation’s most crucial Senate races in the 2024 election, one vulnerable Democrat candidate is not publicly connecting his name to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana is not announcing an endorsement of Harris, or any candidate, despite his past support of the now-Democratic presidential nominee.
“I’m not going to endorse for the presidential – and I will tell you why,” The Democrat senator explained at a recent press conference in Hamilton, Montana. “Two reasons: No. 1, I’m focused on my race. And No. 2, folks have wanted to nationalize this race, and this isn’t about national politics. This is about Montana.”
(Video Credit: KFYRTV)
Seeking a fourth term and battling in a heated race against Republican and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, Tester even skipped attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week. And this was after being one of the first senators to call on President Joe Biden to step aside and end his re-election campaign in July.
But Tester has been a vocal supporter of Harris, helping her when he served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) from 2015 to 2017 when Harris decided to become a senator. He also openly endorsed her when she was named Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election.
“My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November,” he tweeted in August 2020.
But seeking to be re-elected in a state that former President Trump won by 16 points in 2020 has proved to be a challenge and his GOP opponent minced no words calling him out.
“Jon Tester skipping Kamala Harris’ DNC coronation will not hide the fact that he launched her political career by recruiting her to the U.S. Senate and votes with her radical agenda 95% of the time,” Sheehy said.
This would be a great Senate seat pickup for the GOP. Montana is heavily red and Sheehy is a young, telegenic, well-spoken combat vet candidate against Tester who is none of those things. Sheehy leads by 6 in the latest poll. Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/93Hiqurz2b
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) August 14, 2024
He blasted the “two-faced” incumbent for portraying himself as a “Bible-thumping Republican” in Montana while voting with Harris “100 percent of the time.”
“Well, because he can’t [show up]…his party’s so out of sync with what hard-working, everyday Montanans want. He can’t be seen to be within 1,000 miles of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, or anything they’re even talking about,” Sheehy told Breitbart News Daily, referring to Tester skipping the DNC.
“Two-faced Tester, he goes to Washington, DC, votes with Elizabeth Warren and Harris 100 percent of the time — every single time it matters — and, then, he comes home, throws on a Carhartt jacket, and acts like he’s a border-security, you know, Bible-thumping Republican. Therefore, he cannot be seen to be affiliated with his home party,” he added.
“He recruited Kamala Harris to run for the Senate when he was chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2015; he is responsible for Kamala Harris existing on the national political stage,” Sheehy said.
A spokesperson for Montanans for Tester claimed Tester’s “strong record of defending Montana” has even Republicans endorsing him.
“No matter who is in the White House, Jon Tester always does what’s right for Montana. It’s why Jon has consistently stood up to the Biden-Harris administration on issues like securing the border and protecting Montana from burdensome energy regulations, and it’s why President Trump signed more than 20 of his bills into law,” Monica Robinson told Fox News Digital. “Jon’s strong record of defending Montana is why Republicans from across the state, from elected officials to business owners to Trump voters, endorsed Jon in his campaign for Senate.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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