{"id":2319249,"date":"2024-08-05T07:15:58","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T11:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/testers-delicate-dance-with-the-top-of-the-democratic-ticket-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-05T07:20:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T11:20:14","slug":"testers-delicate-dance-with-the-top-of-the-democratic-ticket-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/testers-delicate-dance-with-the-top-of-the-democratic-ticket-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Tester\u2019s delicate dance with the top of the Democratic ticket &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">26<\/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%2Ftesters-delicate-dance-with-the-top-of-the-democratic-ticket-washington-examiner%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=2319249&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--><p>Jon Tester, a Democratic senator from Montana, is navigating a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-houses-first-ever-dei-officer-leaves-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"White House&#039;s inaugural DEI Officer departs Biden Administration\">complex \u200dpolitical landscape<\/a> as \u2063he campaigns for reelection in a state heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump. \u2063Recently, he has been reluctant to endorse Vice President\u200d Kamala Harris, who \u2064is positioning to be the Democratic\u200b presidential nominee following President Biden&#8217;s potential withdrawal \u2063from the race.<\/p>\n<p>Despite previously \u2063supporting Harris in her Senate\u200b campaign and backing her \u200cwhen \u2062she became Biden&#8217;s running mate in\u200b 2020, \u200cTester\u2062 is now distancing\u200b himself \u200dfrom her candidacy. \u200dIn a recent\u200d interview, he acknowledged that Harris seems poised\u200b to \u200cbe the nominee, but\u2063 expressed\u2062 hesitance by\u200d suggesting\u2062 that the nomination isn&#8217;t finalized yet.<\/p>\n<p>He has voiced concerns \u2064over Biden&#8217;s capabilities in a competitive race\u200d against Trump, advocating for an open nomination process. Even as other Democrats rallied around Harris, Tester was cautious, emphasizing that he \u200dis primarily focused on his own race rather than \u2062the presidential election, claiming that his reelection\u2062 efforts will not be swayed by Harris&#8217;s political agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The stakes are\u2064 high for Tester as he faces a\u2063 formidable Republican challenge from Tim Sheehy, and \u200blosing his seat could jeopardize Democratic control\u2064 of the\u200c Senate. Republican contenders are likely to use Tester&#8217;s past support for Harris as a point of criticism, arguing that he is trying to distance himself\u200d from her\u2062 liberal policies to appeal to a more conservative electorate in Montana.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jon Tester&rsquo;s delicate dance with the top of the Democratic ticket<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1711256\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>He&rsquo;s among the few Senate Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3096541\/vulnerable-senate-democrat-jon-tester-harris-nomination-isnt-done-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"yet to endorse\">yet to endorse<\/a> Vice President Kamala Harris. He&rsquo;s also fighting for reelection in a state dominated by former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3090238\/jon-tester-calls-for-biden-withdraw-top-democratic-ticket\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Jon Tester\">Jon Tester<\/a> (D-MT) is keeping his party&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3109044\/harris-secures-delegates-democratic-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"presidential nominee\">presidential nominee<\/a> at arm&rsquo;s length despite helping launch Harris&rsquo;s Senate career and endorsing her in 2020 when she was tapped as President Joe Biden&rsquo;s running mate.<\/p>\n<p>Facing one of the most competitive Senate races of the cycle, Tester has undergone a delicate evolution in recent weeks with the top of the Democratic ticket.<\/p>\n<p>In what was believed to be his first public acknowledgment of Harris replacing Biden, Tester conceded to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Thursday that she was going to be the nominee.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It appears that&rsquo;s the situation,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Harris made it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3109044\/harris-secures-delegates-democratic-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"all but official\">all but official<\/a> on Friday after clenching enough votes from Democratic delegates during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-plan-virtual-nomination-for-biden-ahead-of-chicago-convention\/\" title=\"Democrats to Hold Virtual Nomination for Biden Before Chicago Convention\">virtual roll call<\/a> to win the party&rsquo;s nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Tester was among the handful of Senate Democrats who last month called on Biden to drop out of the race over deepening concerns about his ability to defeat Trump and signs of advanced aging. He advocated an open nomination process.<\/p>\n<p>Even after a groundswell of Democrats rallied around Harris after Biden&rsquo;s exit and she became the presumptive nominee by locking up enough pledges from Democratic delegates, Tester <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3096541\/vulnerable-senate-democrat-jon-tester-harris-nomination-isnt-done-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em><\/a>  her nomination wasn&rsquo;t a &ldquo;done deal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll let the process work out, then we&rsquo;ll figure it out,&rdquo; he said July 23. &ldquo;The process needs to work its way through.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fast-forward to last week, Tester began pivoting to talk about his own race when prompted by reporters on his lack of Harris endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re working on my race right now. Focused totally on that. Believe it or not, I am, and we&rsquo;re going to win,&rdquo; Tester said Wednesday. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll deal with the presidential race when we have time to do that. I&rsquo;m also dealing with the defense bill that&rsquo;s pretty damn important.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tester has insisted Harris and her more liberal stances will make zero impact on his race in a state Trump carried by more than 16 percentage points in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Because we run our own race,&rdquo; he explained this week. &ldquo;I develop my own enthusiasm.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Democrats can neither lose Tester&rsquo;s seat nor any of the other half-dozen competitive Senate races in order to keep the chamber majority. Former Navy SEAL and Republican nominee Tim Sheehy is challenging Tester, a third-term senator who doubles as a multi-generational dirt farmer.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are eyeing Montana as one of their greatest pickup opportunities. The chairman of the Senate GOP&rsquo;s campaign arm, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), also hails from Big Sky Country.<\/p>\n<p>As one of Tester&rsquo;s potential vulnerabilities, the GOP is elevating his past close ties to Harris and her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-one-in-six-biden-voters-would-have-changed-their-vote-if-they-had-known-about-scandals-suppressed-by-media\/\" title=\"Poll: One In Six Biden Voters Would Have Changed Their Vote If They Had Known About Scandals Suppressed By Media\">liberal voting record<\/a> as a senator. As the former chairman of his party&rsquo;s Senate campaign arm, Tester recruited Harris to run for Senate in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s surprising that Jon Tester is trying to distance himself from Kamala Harris after he recruited her to run for Senate, strongly endorsed her for Vice President, and voted with her 100% of the time on her tie-breaking Senate votes,&rdquo; National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Maggie Abboud said. &ldquo;It seems like Tester is trying to fool voters in an election year.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tester&rsquo;s strategy on Harris stands in stark contrast to other vulnerable Senate Democrats who have not only endorsed the new nominee but embraced her, including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).<\/p>\n<p>But there&rsquo;s a &ldquo;big difference&rdquo; between them and Tester, noted Democratic strategist Brad Bannon: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not in a [presidential] battleground state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question at all that Trump&rsquo;s going to win in Montana,&rdquo; Bannon said. &ldquo;What you&rsquo;re talking about here is the difference between deep red states and purple states.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris&rsquo;s virtual roll call nomination will conclude Monday, but Democrats won&rsquo;t get to celebrate formally until later this month in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 19-22. Tester is not expected at the convention when Harris accepts the nomination, instead hosting a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/gallatindemocrats.com\/events\/rock-on-with-jon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Rock on with Jon\">Rock on with Jon<\/a>&rdquo; event in Missoula&nbsp;with the band Pearl Jam.<\/p>\n<p>Bannon predicted Tester will ultimately &ldquo;endorse Harris but not embrace her.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1711256\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1711256\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Jon Tester is navigating a careful relationship with the Democratic presidential ticket, as he remains one of the few Senate Democrats who has not yet endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. He is seeking reelection in a state where former President Donald Trump holds significant influence. Despite having supported Harris&#8217;s Senate career and endorsing her in 2020 when she became President Joe Biden&#8217;s running mate, Tester is now distancing himself from her as he faces one of the most competitive Senate races this election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Tester acknowledged to the Washington Examiner that it seems likely Harris will be the nominee, marking what appears to be his first public recognition of this shift. After securing enough votes from Democratic delegates during a virtual roll call, Harris effectively solidified her position as the presumptive nominee. Last month, Tester was among several Senate Democrats who urged Biden to withdraw from the race due to concerns about his ability to win against Trump and signs of aging. He advocated for an open nomination process.<\/p>\n<p>Even after many Democrats rallied around Harris following Biden\u2019s exit and she became recognized as the presumptive nominee by gaining sufficient delegate support, Tester maintained that her nomination was not guaranteed. He emphasized that &#8220;the process needs to work its way through.&#8221; In recent days, when asked about his lack of endorsement for Harris, he shifted focus back onto his own campaign efforts: \u201cWe\u2019re working on my race right now&#8230; I\u2019m also dealing with important legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tester insists that Harris&#8217;s more liberal positions will not affect his campaign in a state where Trump won by over 16 percentage points in 2020 because he believes each candidate runs their own race and generates their own support.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats cannot afford to lose Tester&#8217;s seat or any other closely contested Senate races if they wish to maintain control of the chamber. Republican challenger Tim Sheehy is vying for Tester&#8217;s seat while Republicans view Montana as a prime opportunity for gains; they are highlighting Tester&#8217;s past connections with Harris and her liberal voting record against him.<\/p>\n<p>Critics have pointed out that it\u2019s surprising for Tester to distance himself from someone he once recruited for office and endorsed so strongly. This strategy contrasts sharply with other vulnerable Senate Democrats who have openly supported and embraced Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Political strategist Brad Bannon noted there\u2019s a significant difference between those senators&#8217; situations compared to Tester&#8217;s since he&#8217;s not representing a battleground state\u2014Montana is expected to lean heavily towards Trump in elections.<\/p>\n<p>While formal celebrations regarding Harris&#8217;s nomination will take place later at the Democratic National Convention later this month in Chicago, Tester plans on hosting an event featuring Pearl Jam instead of attending when she accepts her nomination. Bannon predicts that although Tester may eventually endorse Harris, he will likely refrain from fully embracing her candidacy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2319250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/jon-tester-holds-out-endorsing-kamala-harris.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[33355,34059,33017,4941,32076],"class_list":["post-2319249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-democratic-ticket","tag-election-2024","tag-political-analysis","tag-tester","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/jon-tester-holds-out-endorsing-kamala-harris.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319249","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\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2319250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}