{"id":2170554,"date":"2024-02-07T17:35:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T22:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-former-law-enforcement-officer-in-jon-testers-latest-ad-is-a-top-montana-dem-with-ties-to-the-senator\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T17:38:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T22:38:42","slug":"the-former-law-enforcement-officer-in-jon-testers-latest-ad-is-a-top-montana-dem-with-ties-to-the-senator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-former-law-enforcement-officer-in-jon-testers-latest-ad-is-a-top-montana-dem-with-ties-to-the-senator\/","title":{"rendered":"The &#8216;Ex-Cop&#8217; in Jon Tester&#8217;s New Ad is a Montana Dem Linked to the Senator"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-former-law-enforcement-officer-in-jon-testers-latest-ad-is-a-top-montana-dem-with-ties-to-the-senator%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2170554&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Senator Jon Tester&#8217;s Latest Campaign \u200dAd<\/h2>\n<p>In his latest \u200ccampaign ad, Senator Jon Tester (D., Mont.) highlights the endorsement of \u200da &#8220;former law enforcement&#8221; officer. However, what he fails to mention is that this retired cop is actually a former state Democratic official who hasn&#8217;t worked in law enforcement for\u200b over a decade.<\/p>\n<p>The retired cop \u200din question is Mike Tooley, who served as Montana&#8217;s Department of Transportation leader under former\u200b Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D.) from 2013 to 2021. After Republican Governor Greg Gianforte took office, Tooley landed a lucrative job\u2064 at Aurigo\u2062 Software Technologies, where he now provides consulting services and promotes software to public sector officials.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, shortly after Tooley joined Aurigo,\u200b the company\u200d was awarded a $10 million federal contract to oversee the bidding process for new highway projects funded by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-says-we-cant-just-flip-a-switch-and-make-it-better-when-pressed-on-border\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Says \u2018We Can\u2019t Just Flip A Switch And Make It Better\u2019 When Pressed On Border\">bipartisan infrastructure act<\/a>. It&#8217;s worth noting that Tester was the lead Democratic negotiator for that bill and\u200d the sole \u200cmember from Montana&#8217;s congressional delegation\u2062 to \u2062vote in favor of\u200d its passage.<\/p>\n<h3>Tester&#8217;s Attempt to Rebrand<\/h3>\n<p>Senator Tester&#8217;s attempt to present Tooley \u2062as\u2064 a retired Montana cop is just one of his strategies to\u2064 gain Republican votes in his upcoming tough reelection\u2063 battle. In recent months, Tester has been positioning himself as a centrist, avoiding references to President Joe Biden and even\u200b refraining\u2064 from using the word &#8220;Democrat&#8221; in his campaign \u2062materials. This shift\u200c is likely due to the fact that former President Donald Trump won Montana by double digits in both of his presidential\u200d campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Tooley&#8217;s Transition from \u200cLaw Enforcement to Politics<\/p>\n<p>After\u200b serving\u2063 as a highway patrolman for nearly\u2064 30 years,\u2063 Tooley made a transition \u2063to Democratic \u200dpolitics in 2013 when he joined Bullock&#8217;s administration. During his time there, he was involved in overseeing\u2062 Bullock&#8217;s security detail, which faced controversy over a taxpayer-funded Iowa trip in 2019 when the governor was \u2062considering a \u2063presidential run. Tooley publicly showed his support for \u200bBullock by updating\u2064 his \u200cFacebook cover photo to a pro-Bullock banner and\u200b donating at least\u200c $1,300 to\u200b Tester&#8217;s campaign.<\/p>\n<p>As Montana&#8217;s Director of Transportation, Tooley&#8217;s main \u2064responsibilities, as he stated, included overseeing the selection, \u2063design, construction, and maintenance of Montana state highways, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nigeria-168-people-unaccounted-for-one-week-after-train-terror-attack\/\" title=\"Nigeria: 168 People Unaccounted for One Week after Train Terror Attack\">state-owned rail<\/a> and airport transportation infrastructure. Tester recognized Tooley&#8217;s expertise and nominated him to the National\u2063 Freight Advisory Committee and later to the National Aviation Commission, both times highlighting Tooley&#8217;s \u2064unique \u200dperspectives on rural transportation and the importance of air travel, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>A Close\u2062 Relationship<\/p>\n<p>Tooley and Tester\u2063 have maintained\u2064 a close relationship. In March 2023, \u2063Tooley led a \u2063business delegation to meet with\u2062 Tester to discuss the impact \u2062of technology on the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure (IIJA) bill. This \u200cmeeting was documented in a LinkedIn post by one \u2064of the attendees.<\/p>\n<p>It appears that a\u200c significant part of Tooley&#8217;s current \u2064work involves advising\u200c local governments on how\u2062 to secure federal infrastructure grants. In a brief essay on\u200c Aurigo&#8217;s website titled &#8220;Build better: Through the \u2064lens of transparency\u2062 &#038; \u200baccountability,&#8221; Tooley emphasized how his firm\u200d can \u200bassist clients in maximizing the value of available funds from the \u2064federal infrastructure bill.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Tooley nor Tester \u200cresponded to requests for \u200ccomment.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What \u2064concerns are raised about Senator \u2063Tester&#8217;s integrity and transparency due to his \u2064attempted\u200d rebranding as a centrist and avoidance \u200cof \u200dhis party affiliation and the \u2062Biden administration, and how does this impact\u200d trust in the democratic process<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Overwhelming margins in both\u200c the\u2063 2016\u200b and 2020 elections, and Tester is\u200d well aware\u200d that he needs \u2062the support of Republican voters to secure another\u2064 term in\u2064 office.<\/p>\n<p>By highlighting a former\u2064 law enforcement officer in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-stops-at-the-arizona-border-senate-candidate-blake-masters-visits-san-francisco-for-latest-campaign-video\/\" title=\"\u2018California Stops At The Arizona Border\u2019: Senate Candidate Blake Masters Visits San Francisco For Latest Campaign Video\">latest campaign ad<\/a>, Tester is attempting to appeal to conservative voters who value law and order. However, his\u200c failure to disclose that Tooley is not a retired\u200d cop but\u200b a former state Democratic\u200b official undermines the credibility of his \u2062endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u200d Tooley&#8217;s subsequent\u2064 employment at Aurigo Software \u2063Technologies raises questions about potential conflicts\u200c of interest. The fact\u2064 that \u2062the company was awarded a lucrative federal\u200c contract shortly\u2064 after Tooley joined raises suspicions of cronyism and favoritism. As the lead Democratic negotiator for the bipartisan \u2062infrastructure \u2064act, Tester&#8217;s involvement in\u200b securing the contract for \u200cAurigo raises further ethical concerns.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his questionable endorsement and potential conflicts of\u2064 interest, Tester&#8217;s attempt to rebrand himself\u2064 as a \u200dcentrist is disingenuous. While \u2062it \u200bis not uncommon for politicians \u2062to\u200d adjust their messaging to cater to their electorate, Tester&#8217;s avoidance of\u200d any \u200creference to his party \u200caffiliation and the \u2063Biden administration\u2063 suggests that he is trying to distance himself from policies and positions that\u200b may \u200dbe unpopular \u200bwith Montana&#8217;s \u200bconservative voters.<\/p>\n<p>Tester&#8217;s \u200dshift to the center is a calculated tactic \u2062to appeal to Republican voters, but it\u2063 raises questions about his true convictions and principles. Voters deserve transparency\u2062 and honesty from their elected officials, and\u2064 Tester&#8217;s \u200cattempt to\u2064 present himself \u200cas something he is not undermines trust in the democratic process.<\/p>\n<p>As Senator Tester launches his reelection campaign, it is important for Montanans to critically examine \u200dhis record, endorsements, and \u200bmessaging. His latest \u2064campaign ad and his attempt to rebrand himself raise legitimate\u200d concerns about his credibility,\u2062 integrity, and commitment to representing the interests\u200d of his\u2064 constituents rather than his own political ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>Montanans deserve a\u200c senator who is honest, transparent, and dedicated \u200cto serving the\u2063 needs of\u200b the \u200dstate, regardless of party affiliation.\u2064 It is crucial to hold Senator Tester accountable for his actions\u2064 and to scrutinize his campaign \u2064promises and rhetoric,\u200c ensuring that they align with the \u200cbest interests of\u200b Montana and its\u2063 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Jon Tester&#8217;s campaign ad highlights endorsement from a &#8220;former law enforcement&#8221; officer, but fails to mention that the retired cop is a former state Democratic official who hasn&#8217;t been in law enforcement for over ten years. Mike Tooley, the individual in the ad, claims that &#8220;Montana law enforcement knows,&#8221; but his credibility may be questionable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":2170555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-07-at-3.36.35-PM-1024x588.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2170554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-07-at-3.36.35-PM-1024x588.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2170554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2170555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2170554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2170554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2170554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}