{"id":2345140,"date":"2024-09-24T07:03:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T11:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-montana-senator-cant-hide-from-harris-long-left-shadow\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T07:04:07","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T11:04:07","slug":"dem-montana-senator-cant-hide-from-harris-long-left-shadow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-montana-senator-cant-hide-from-harris-long-left-shadow\/","title":{"rendered":"Dem Montana Senator Can&#8217;t Hide From Harris&#8217; Long Left Shadow"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fdem-montana-senator-cant-hide-from-harris-long-left-shadow%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=2345140&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>Senator Jon\u200d Tester, a Democrat from Montana, is facing a challenging re-election campaign against Republican newcomer Tim \u2063Sheehy, currently trailing in polls by over five points. \u2062Despite outspending \u2063Sheehy significantly, Tester\u2019s race has shifted from a &#8220;toss-up&#8221; to &#8220;lean Republican,&#8221; prompting concerns among Senate Democrats. \u2062Notably, Tester has distanced himself from the national Democratic ticket, which includes Vice President Kamala Harris, reflecting his strategy to focus on local issues rather than\u200b national\u200c politics.\u200d He even skipped the recent Democratic National Convention \u2064to attend a\u200b fundraiser featuring local musician Jeff Ament.<\/p>\n<p>With Tester\u2019s seat\u2064 being one of the more vulnerable ones\u2062 for Democrats in the\u200c upcoming election, the stakes are high as it could shift control of the Senate to Republicans if he loses. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/under-ethics-scrutiny-liberal-dark-money-behemoth-arabella-advisors-discloses-1-3-billion-fundraising-haul\/\" title=\"Liberal dark money giant Arabella Advisors reveals .3B fundraising amid ethics scrutiny.\">significant fundraising efforts<\/a>,\u200c most recent polls indicate \u200ba\u200c strong preference for Sheehy among older voters, contributing to fears that Tester\u2019s moderate image is not resonating as effectively as before. The growing Republican presence in the state amplifies \u2062the challenge for Tester, making his upcoming campaign critical.  <\/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<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=U.S.+Sen.+Jon+Tester+ballotpedia%C2%A0&amp;sca_esv=8cff900964a59ae3&amp;sca_upv=1&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=785&amp;ei=Si3yZsiNAfXewN4PhoijkAM&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjI2rqczdqIAxV1L9AFHQbECDIQ4dUDCA8&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=U.S.+Sen.+Jon+Tester+ballotpedia%C2%A0&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiIlUuUy4gU2VuLiBKb24gVGVzdGVyIGJhbGxvdHBlZGlhwqAyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigAUjCFFCPBFjkEXABeAGQAQGYAYcDoAGAEKoBBzYuNC4xLjK4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgygAuQMwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICBRAhGKsCmAMAiAYBkAYIkgcHMy43LjEuMaAH7yI&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sen. Jon Tester<\/a>, D-Mont., is trailing his Republican challenger, Bozeman businessman and political newcomer <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Tim_Sheehy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tim Sheehy<\/a>, by five-plus points (50 percent to 44.8 percent), according to the RealClearPolitics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2024\/montana\/sheehy-vs-tester\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average<\/a> of polls. Even a <a href=\"https:\/\/press.aarp.org\/New-AARP-Montana-Poll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> earlier this month from the Montana branch of the leftist AARP shows Sheehy ahead of the three-term Democrat by six percentage points (51 percent to 45 percent) in a head-to-head matchup. Older Montana voters, according to the poll, favor the former Navy Seal by a whopping 57 percent to 40 percent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Despite outraising and outspending the upstart <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/races\/summary?cycle=2024&amp;id=MTS1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3 to 1<\/a>, Tester and his nervous Senate Democrats have seen the critical &mdash; and costly &mdash; Montana race slide from a &ldquo;toss up&rdquo; to &ldquo;lean Republican,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/4876084-montana-senate-tester-sheehy-cook-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cook Political Report&rsquo;s<\/a> recent pronouncement. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>No wonder Tester, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/jon-tester-montana-republican-senate-majority-322f7db8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lone surviving Democrat<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pollak-voters-reject-democrats-desperate-racism-claims-in-virginia\/\" title=\"Pollak: Voters Reject Democrats&#039; Desperate Racism Claims in Virginia\">hold statewide office<\/a> in the Big Sky State, is eschewing anything to do with leftist Vice President Kamala Harris and her presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Democrat Party&rsquo;s manufactured dream team is running nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/montana\/trump-vs-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 points behind<\/a> former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in a state expected to play a critical role in helping Republicans take back control of the Senate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tester has not only refused to endorse the far-left Dem ticket, he skipped last month&rsquo;s Democratic National Convention altogether. Instead, he spent Wednesday evening of the convention, when Walz accepted the VP nomination, at a fundraiser with Pearl Jam&rsquo;s bassist, Jeff Ament, who grew up in Big Sandy, Montana, Tester&rsquo;s hometown, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/democrats-endangered-senators-skip-convention-tough-campaigns-rcna167739\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> NBC News. The senator, first elected in 2006, was Montana&rsquo;s only Democrat delegate of 25 to withhold his vote supporting Harris&rsquo; nomination, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtpr.org\/montana-news\/2024-08-06\/tester-withholds-vote-for-harris-highlights-republican-support\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to <\/a>Montana Public Radio.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;This isn&rsquo;t About National Politics&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Tester&rsquo;s campaign did not return The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment, but at a press conference last month the senator with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1929414127262508\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Howie Long flat top<\/a> insisted he would not endorse anyone in the presidential contest because he was concentrating on his own race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And No. 2, folks have wanted to nationalize this race, and this isn&rsquo;t about national politics. This is about Montana,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tester is either delusional or lying. Montana&rsquo;s Senate race, expected to be the most expensive in state history, is being closely watched by opportunistic Republicans and trembling Democrats. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/races\/summary?cycle=2024&amp;id=MTS1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to<\/a> Open Secrets, the incumbent had raked in nearly $43 million as of June 30, the Federal Election Commission&rsquo;s last reporting period, while Sheehy had raised nearly $14 million. Those numbers were expected to rise significantly over the latest fund-raising period, which wraps up at the end of the month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tester&rsquo;s Senate seat is among the more vulnerable for Democrats, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority, His defeat could put Republicans back in power and end the far-left reign of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as majority leader of the upper house. A new YouGov <a href=\"https:\/\/today.yougov.com\/politics\/articles\/50573-republicans-favored-win-senate-democrats-win-yougov-model-mrp-polls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">analysis<\/a> of every congressional race projects Republicans favored to take back the Senate and Democrats with the edge to regain the House.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As politically moribund PINO (President In Name Only) Joe Biden would say, Montana is a big (expletive) deal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Montanans Won&rsquo;t Forget&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>The Big Sky State has been turning a deeper shade of red in recent years. While Democrats and their allies have dumped a lot of money into a campaign to vilify Sheehy, the state still boasts a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/religious-landscape-study\/database\/state\/montana\/party-affiliation\/#demographic-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high percentage<\/a> of self-identified Republicans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tester is in trouble, and his phony show as a moderate who places country above party isn&rsquo;t selling like it used to, his opponents say. Neither, they assert, is his desperate act to distance himself from Harris, whom he warmly endorsed for vice president in 2020, &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I&rsquo;m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November,&rdquo; Tester wrote in an August 2020 post Twitter at the time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My friend <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KamalaHarris<\/a> is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I&#8217;m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JoeBiden<\/a> in November. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/37exYwfVcP\">https:\/\/t.co\/37exYwfVcP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jon Tester (@jontester) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jontester\/status\/1293301109977755650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Montana senator reportedly encouraged Harris to run for Senate in California. She went on to win, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4816859-kamala-harris-is-extremely-liberal-and-the-numbers-prove-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posting<\/a> one of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/self-styled-moderate-wiley-nickel-partnered-with-liberal-group-working-to-defund-police-end-cash-bail\/\" title=\"Self-Styled \u2018Moderate\u2019 Wiley Nickel Partnered With Liberal Group Working to Defund Police, End Cash Bail\">liberal voting records<\/a> in Congress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Montanans won&rsquo;t forget that Jon Tester recruited Kamala Harris to run for U.S. Senate, endorsed her as Joe Biden&rsquo;s running mate, and voted for her dangerously liberal agenda 95 percent of the time,&rdquo; Montana GOP Chairman&nbsp;Don&nbsp;&ldquo;K&rdquo;&nbsp;Kaltschmidt said in an email response to The Federalist&rsquo;s questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not only does Two-Faced Tester stand with Kamala Harris, but Tester also hates President Trump. He voted to impeach President Trump twice, and said President Trump should be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/691956\/democratic-senator-on-how-to-beat-trump-punch-him-in-the-face\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">punched in the face<\/a>,&rdquo; added Kaltschmidt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sheehy&rsquo;s campaign said Tester is committed to the same leftist agenda that Harris has helped lead. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;His voting record is his&nbsp;endorsement of the failed&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;agenda, and every time Montanans needed him to stop the insanity in Washington, he was the deciding vote to further her progressive Liberal agenda,&rdquo; the Sheehy campaign said in an email response to The Federalist. &ldquo;That same agenda has made costs for things like groceries and gas skyrocket, it&rsquo;s brought us record high inflation, and has given us a wide-open southern border that has brought crime and deadly drugs into our communities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-knew-100-percent-he-was-fighting-for-the-little-guy-former-top-trump-economic-adviser\/\" title=\"Trump Knew \u2018100 Percent\u2019 He Was \u2018Fighting for the Little Guy\u2019: Former Top Trump Economic Adviser\">award-winning investigative reporter<\/a> and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, is currently behind his Republican opponent, Tim Sheehy, a businessman and newcomer to politics from Bozeman, by over five points (50% to 44.8%), based on the RealClearPolitics poll average. A recent poll conducted by the Montana chapter of AARP indicates that Sheehy leads Tester by six points (51% to 45%) in a direct matchup. The poll also reveals that older voters in Montana favor Sheehy significantly, with support at 57% compared to Tester&#8217;s 40%.<\/p>\n<p>Despite outpacing Sheehy in fundraising and spending three times more than him, Tester and anxious Senate Democrats have seen this crucial race shift from being considered a &#8220;toss-up&#8221; to &#8220;lean Republican,&#8221; according to the Cook Political Report. This situation has prompted Tester\u2014Montana&#8217;s only remaining Democratic statewide officeholder\u2014to distance himself from leftist figures like Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The Democratic ticket is trailing former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance by nearly 18 points in a state pivotal for Republicans aiming to regain control of the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Tester has not only refrained from endorsing the far-left Democratic ticket but also skipped last month&#8217;s Democratic National Convention entirely. Instead, he attended a fundraiser with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament during Walz&#8217;s acceptance speech for vice president. As reported by NBC News, Tester was notably the only Democrat among Montana\u2019s delegates who did not vote for Harris\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n<p>At a press conference last month, Tester claimed he would not endorse anyone in the presidential race as he focuses on his own campaign: \u201cThis isn\u2019t about national politics; this is about Montana.\u201d However, critics argue that this perspective is misguided or disingenuous given that Montana&#8217;s Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive ever and closely monitored by both Republicans eager for opportunities and Democrats worried about their prospects.<\/p>\n<p>As of June 30\u2014according to Open Secrets\u2014Tester had raised nearly $43 million while Sheehy had brought in around $14 million; these figures are anticipated to increase significantly as fundraising continues through month-end.<\/p>\n<p>Tester&#8217;s seat represents one of Democrats&#8217; more vulnerable positions within their narrow majority (51-49). His potential defeat could enable Republicans&#8217; return to power and end Chuck Schumer&#8217;s leadership as majority leader. Recent analysis suggests Republicans are favored overall for regaining control of the Senate while Democrats may have an edge in reclaiming the House.<\/p>\n<p>The political landscape in Montana has been shifting increasingly red over recent years despite significant financial efforts from Democrats aimed at undermining Sheehy&#8217;s image. Critics assert that Tester&#8217;s attempts at portraying himself as a moderate who prioritizes country over party are failing; they point out his previous endorsement of Harris during her vice-presidential campaign back in August 2020 when he praised her commitment towards working families.<\/p>\n<p>Montana GOP Chairman Don Kaltschmidt emphasized that voters will remember Tester&#8217;s past actions\u2014including recruiting Harris for her Senate run\u2014and noted how Tester&#8217;s voting record aligns closely with what they view as an extreme liberal agenda led by Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Sheehy&#8217;s campaign argues that Tester&#8217;s alignment with leftist policies has contributed negatively toward Montanans\u2019 everyday lives through rising costs associated with groceries and gas alongside issues related to border security leading into increased crime rates linked with drug trafficking into communities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2345141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-23-at-10.46.45-PM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4021,8605,4012],"class_list":["post-2345140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-harris","tag-montana","tag-senator"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-23-at-10.46.45-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345140","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\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2345140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2345141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}