Montana’s Senator Jon Tester announced he will not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election, despite having played a role in her recruitment to the Senate years earlier, Fox News reports, citing media reports.
Tester, who previously served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2015 to 2017, was among those who encouraged Harris when she considered running for the Senate in California.
According to reports from the Los Angeles Times, Tester’s support for Harris was evident shortly after she launched her campaign in 2015. However, in a recent press conference held in Hamilton, Montana, Tester emphasized his focus on his own re-election bid and the importance of local politics.
“I’m not going to endorse for the presidential – and I will tell you why,” he explained. “Two reasons: No. 1, I’m focused on my race. And No. 2, folks have wanted to nationalize this race, and this isn’t about national politics. This is about Montana.”
Despite his decision not to endorse, Tester previously backed Harris when she was selected as Vice President by President Biden in 2020. At that time, he tweeted his support, calling her “a proven fighter” and expressing confidence in her ability to advocate for working families.
As Tester campaigns for re-election in a state that former President Donald Trump won by 16 points in 2020, he has distanced himself from the current Democratic ticket.
“No matter who is in the White House, Jon Tester always does what’s right for Montana,” Tester’s spokesperson, Monica Robinson, told Fox News Digital.
Robinson outllined Tester’s record of standing up to the Biden-Harris administration on issues like border security and energy regulations, asserting that his commitment to Montana has garnered support from a range of voters, including Republicans.
In July, Tester was one of the first Senate Democrats to call on Biden to reconsider his candidacy for 2024. Notably, he was also among three vulnerable Senate Democrats who chose not to attend the Democratic National Convention, where Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination for president.
Tester’s re-election campaign faces challenges from former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who criticized the senator for skipping the convention while reminding voters of Tester’s history in supporting Harris.
“Jon Tester skipping Kamala Harris’ DNC coronation will not hide the fact that he launched her political career by recruiting her to the U.S. Senate and votes with her radical agenda 95% of the time,” Sheehy said.
