Sen. Jon Tester is showing just how tough he is in a Montana campaign that has him marked as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats this year.
Mr. Tester is the lone statewide elected Democrat in a state that former President Donald Trump won by 57% in the last presidential election. Despite the state moving from purple to red in recent years, Mr. Tester still leads in most polls and commands a campaign war chest brimming with cash.
Mr. Tester, who has held his seat since 2007, is facing GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and aerospace millionaire hand-picked by Republicans to take down the longtime incumbent.
The seat is one of the most hotly contested in this year’s election cycle and one that Republicans believe they can flip because of how deep in Trump country it is. Sen. Steve Daines, Mr. Tester’s Republican counterpart and head of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, is trying to boost Mr. Sheehy to victory.
Polling from RealClearPolitics shows Mr. Tester leading by 5 points. Only one survey from JL Partners shows Mr. Sheehy ahead by 3 points.
Mr. Tester’s name recognition among Montana voters has undoubtedly helped his campaign along with his penchant as a fundraising juggernaut.
The latest campaign finance filings for the first three months of this year showed that Mr. Tester earned $7.3 million, bringing his total to $31.1 million during the 2024 election cycle. Mr. Sheehy raised $2.2 million in the quarter, bringing his bounty to $5.8 million.
Mr. Sheehy has tried to make up for that by injecting $1.5 million into his campaign coffers.
Democrats have branded him “Transplant Tim” because he moved to Montana from Minnesota and are stoking fears that he could eviscerate access to public lands — a crucial state issue.
Meanwhile, Republicans have hammered Mr. Tester for flip-flops as he breaks from Mr. Biden’s agenda to bolster his chances at reelection and have named the senator “Two-Faced Tester.”
Mr. Tester on Thursday again voted in favor of the Senate’s bipartisan border bill, which Republicans label as amnesty and nothing more than political cover for Democratic senators in tough races.
“Jon Tester is showing his true colors by being the Two-Faced Tester we knew he was all along. He now claims to support border security but just voted for a sham bill that would actually make things worse — funding sanctuary cities, giving amnesty to illegal immigrants, and continuing to give us an open border that allows illegal immigrants to walk right into our country,” Mr. Sheehy said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Mr. Tester said he would support the House GOP’s Laken Riley Act, a tough immigration bill that would press the government to deport migrant thieves, burglars and shoplifters, saying it can help oust dangerous illegals before they commit more serious crimes.
The lawmaker previously voted against a version of the bill that appeared as an amendment to a larger funding bill geared toward preventing a government shutdown but argued he would support the measure as standalone legislation.
“Jon Tester’s support for Joe Biden’s open borders agenda is hurting his reelection campaign, so he is flip-flopping,” said Maggie Abboud, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senate Committee. “Montanans can’t trust Two-Faced Tester.”
Mr. Tester called foul on the accusations, telling Politico that Republicans arguing that his decision was for political gain were “full of s—t.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.