NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman wrote a statewide column in Montana today, slamming Jon Tester for recruiting Kamala Harris to run for Senate, voting 100 percent of the time with her on her tie-breaking votes, and refusing to tell Montanans who he endorses for president.
In case you missed it…
Montanans have Sen. Jon Tester to ‘thank’ for Kamala Harris
Jason Thielman
August 6, 2024
Jon Tester is in the fight of his life to hold onto his Senate seat, but recently, he hasn’t been able to muster the courage to tell Montanans if he supports San Francisco radical Kamala Harris or Donald J. Trump for president.
Luckily, we know the answer.
In 2015, Tester was widely credited with recruiting Harris to run for Senate as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Tester stood with Harris in the Senate and voted to impeach Trump twice. He called on supporters to punch Trump in the face and said he “loved” posters that depicted President Trump dead in front of the White House, adding his voice to the dangerous rhetoric of political violence we’ve heard so much about in recent weeks.
In 2020, Tester praised Harris as Joe Biden’s pick for vice president, calling her a “friend” and an “excellent pick” to serve in a role that is just one heartbeat — or one catastrophic debate performance — away from the presidency. He then voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020.
Once in office, Harris cast more tie-breaking votes than any vice president in history. On every single tie-breaking vote, Tester cast his ballot with Harris.
The Tester-Harris agenda delivered reckless spending that drove inflation through the roof, a wide-open southern border that is plaguing the country with crime and drug trafficking, special tax breaks for multimillionaires in Harris’ home state of California, and job-killing Green New Deal policies.
While Tester hides out on Capitol Hill and refuses to tell the public if he endorses his party’s new nominee for president, Montanans deserve answers on whether he supports the radical agenda Kamala Harris has laid out for the American people.
Kamala Harris was chosen by the president to be the “border czar” and solve the crisis on the southern border. Jon Tester should tell Montanans whether he thinks she has done a good job.
Kamala Harris supports decriminalizing illegal border crossings and abolishing ICE. If Jon Tester disagrees with Harris, he hasn’t told Montanans.
Harris unequivocally pledged to ban fracking, a disastrous move that would send energy costs soaring even higher. Why hasn’t Jon Tester called her out?
Harris embraced the Defund the Police movement, said it was “wrongheaded” to put more cops on our streets, and pledged to eliminate cash bail. Surprisingly, Jon Tester has not condemned Harris for these positions.
The vice president has even pledged to confiscate lawfully purchased firearms. Surprisingly, Jon Tester has not condemned Harris’s position on this issue either.
Jon Tester has been doing everything he can to avoid telling Montanans where he stands on the upcoming presidential election. He even had Chuck Schumer block a reporter from asking him who he endorses.
That is far from the behavior of the straight-talking dirt farmer Tester insists he is, and much more resembles the actions of a D.C. politician who will do anything to hold onto power.
Tester has been there every time Kamala Harris and Joe Biden needed him, voted to impeach President Trump twice, and even endorsed violence against President Trump. If Tester won’t tell Montanans what he thinks, all we can do is look at his record.