Jon Tester Is Wrong for Montana

Montana is an idiosyncratic state that has an independent political streak. Democratic senator Jon Tester is an idiosyncratic person, but not an independent politician. Through his two terms in the Senate, Tester has been a consistent vote for his party on matters of national import, and conservative Montanans who want someone to represent them on these issues need to look elsewhere.

Tester’s name is known all over the state. He is a Montanan through and through, an organic farmer who still tends his grandfather’s homestead. He suffered an accident involving a meat grinder when he was nine and is missing three fingers on his left hand. That authenticity, and his disciplined political focus on issues such as veterans’ affairs, land use, and agriculture, have given him a certain sheen.

Though he’s running with a slight lead over his Republican opponent, Matt Rosendale, Tester’s support has softened in recent weeks. Tester has never won a majority in a Senate race, and this one, like the prior two, looks increasingly like a toss-up. The New York Times ran a column last week absurdly characterizing Rosendale as a “merciless” “bootlicker” — perhaps the surest sign yet of Tester’s vulnerability. In short, his sheen may be coming off as Montanans, galvanized by his vote against Brett Kavanaugh, rebel against the man who on most matters is a down-the-line Democrat.

READ FULL STORY