News/Commentary

Wealthy Montana Dem senator rages against ‘multi-millionaires,’ lives it up on campaign-funded fine dining

March 11, 2023 | | Print Article

Democrat Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who is worth millions and has spent his entire career in the Senate dining on fine meals at luxury restaurants, has been hypocritically sniping at “multi-millionaires,” claiming they don’t “understand what a hard day’s work looks like.”

The wealthy Democrat is seeking a fourth term and is feeling the heat from Republicans in the red state. He was first elected to the Senate in Montana in 2007. The senator has attempted to brand himself as a “tireless defender of rural America,” according to Fox News.

His net worth is reportedly somewhere between $1,768,009 and $6,695,000, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data from 2021. The senator also reported thousands of dollars worth of stock and other investments, as well as bank deposits.

Part of Tester’s net worth ostensibly comes from the valuation of his farmland and assets that he owns. However, it’s telling that his campaign and leadership PAC spent at least $1.2 million on restaurants and on catered events since 2006, according to campaign finance records. His penchant for expensive fine dining was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon. Tester has allegedly spent in excess of $270,000 on meals since 2019.

Expenditures include $31,000 at Morton’s Steakhouse, which is a “Washington mainstay where eight-ounce steaks run $53 and margaritas cost $35 a pop,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.

The list also includes Del Frisco’s steakhouse and RPM Italian, where the senator spent $8,100 and $6,000 at each restaurant, respectively. The Tester campaign has also footed a hefty bill at Bistro Cacao, where he reportedly spent $15,745, and Bistro Bis, an upscale French restaurant where he’s spent over $9,000.

This flies in the face of Tester telling The New York Times earlier in his Senate career that he’s “happier” not going out to eat and would rather cook meat brought with him from his Montana farm.

“At the end of the long day, I am happier not going out [to eat],” the portly senator said in an interview in 2012. “Taking meat with us is just something that we do. We like our own meat.”

Tester is expected to face an uphill battle to rewin his seat this time out in 2024. He is seen as very vulnerable by Republicans and Montana is Trump country.

(Video Credit: MSNBC)

He had the audacity to rail against “multi-millionaires” during the 45th annual fundraising dinner for the Montana Democratic Party to kick off his campaign. The hypocrisy is deep with this one.

“I know the people in Washington don’t understand what a hard day’s work looks like; they often don’t understand the challenges that working families are facing,” Tester bloviated at the leftist, elitist dinner. “But that is exactly why I’m running. I am running to keep fighting for you, to keep fighting for Montana values, the state that we all love.”

He took the opportunity to swipe at Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) as well as potential Senate challenger Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT). Tester called them “a bunch of multi-millionaires” who are “focused on empty political rhetoric instead of fighting for working families across this country.” He also ridiculously described himself as the “only working farmer in the US Senate.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is reportedly courting veteran Tim Sheehy to take on the Democratic incumbent. He has a military background and is a political outsider. NRSC Chairman Steve Daines has been pushing Sheehy to launch a bid, according to Axios.

Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who has completed over 200 missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and the US Pacific Command. He was also awarded the Purple Heart medal in 2015 for his service in Afghanistan. On top of that, he’s independently wealthy.

Both Rosendale and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) are rumored to be considering a run against Tester. But Sheehy may be the biggest threat to him. Any of those is very likely to trounce the senator and the fear is palpable among Democrats.

Latest posts by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles