Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who has at times expressed interest in Donald Trump as he tries to win reelection in a state the former president won by 16 points in 2020, has a long history of blaming racism for Trump's popularity.
A lifelong Montana farmer, Tester has tried to portray himself as a moderate in his Senate campaign against Republican rival Tim Sheehy and has often boasted of the many times he has worked with Trump. But Tester also has a long history of denouncing support for Trump as a result of racism.
“While Trump spoke directly to rural America, most Democrats ignored him. Trump uplifted white voters who had struggled for years as their majority-white communities suffered, as jobs and opportunities disappeared and businesses closed their doors,” Tester wrote in his 2020 book “Grounded: A Senator's Lesson on Winning Back Rural America.”
“Trump resorted to the old but effective strategy of helping others get ahead, stoking racial fears and giving angry and frightened white voters permission to distrust other religions, other cultures, and other people. Trump attacked the deep, twisted root of racism in rural America. While we can't eradicate it overnight, we can't ignore it either.”
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Senator Jon Tester arrives for a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on June 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the same book, Tester claimed that one of the reasons people supported Trump no matter what was happening was because “racial tension was his underlying current.”
“Trump brought charisma to the politics of millions of ordinary people, making himself relatable, tough and credible,” Tester wrote. “So when his own policies hurt American farmers and manufacturers, they marched in single file behind him, even against their own interests. And there's no denying that racial tension was at the heart of it.”
Tester too He told the New York Times in 2020 that he “can't understand” Trump's appeal to rural America.
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Tester cast doubt on a recent unfavorable poll about his race in Montana. (Reuters)
“There's no question that he has a lot of appeal in rural America,” Tester said. “I can't figure it out, but there's no denying it. But I will also tell you that I think there's a long-term structural problem. And by the way, I've had this conversation with Chuck Schumer several times: We need to do a better job of developing a message so that rural Americans can say, 'Yeah, those guys think like I do.' Because that's what Trump has right now.”
Monica Robinson, a spokeswoman for Montanans for Tester, told Fox News Digital that Tester “has been ranked as one of the most effective and bipartisan senators because he will work with anyone to get things done in Montana.”
“No matter who is in the White House, Jon Tester always does what is right for Montana,” she added. “That's why Jon has consistently stood up to the Biden administration on so many issues, from securing the border to protecting Montana from bureaucratic rules that would hurt rural America, and it's why President Trump signed more than 20 of his bills into law.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Maggie Aboud said: “Jon Tester hates Donald Trump, which is why he routinely insults Trump voters and even called for Trump to be physically assaulted.”
Former President Trump speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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“Montana residents can clearly see Two-Faced Tester's blatant attempts to tie himself to Trump now that he needs his voters.”
Many pundits believe Montana is Republicans' best chance of regaining control of the Senate in 2024, and recent polls suggest Sheehy has a slight lead.
The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan election expert, recently changed the rating of the race from a “tie” to “leaning Republican,” while Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics changed the rating of the race to “leaning Republican.”
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady contributed to this report
