Montana Senator Jon Tester Takes on Underdog Role
Republican newcomer Tim Sheehy’s campaign to unseat the incumbent Democrat in the deep red Treasure State gains momentum as Nov. 5 election nears.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has won three elections as a self-identified “dirt farmer from Big Sandy” working the land his grandfather homesteaded more than a century ago, touting his bona fides as a High Plains centrist in an era of increasing ideological polarity.
The moderate Democrat appears to be counting on split-ticket voting in his campaign for a fourth, six-year Senate term.
Tester, 68, the only statewide-elected Democrat in deep red Montana, has trailed Republican challenger Tim Sheehy, 38, in polls by increasing percentages since August and is the Republicans’ top target in flipping the Democrats’ 51–49 Senate majority.
In 2022’s midterms, the GOP defended 20 of 34 seats up for grabs in the split 50–50 chamber. In 2024, Democrats and the four independents who caucus with them are defending 23 of 33 available seats on Nov. 5.
Republicans need to flip only two seats to notch chamber leadership.
Tester entered the 2024 election cycle as one of three Democratic Party senators seeking re-election in states that President Donald Trump won in 2020, and where Trump is the overwhelming favorite to win in 2024.
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