60 Days to Go: Sen. Jon Tester

Who: Sen. Jon Tester

Where: Montana

Why: With West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin not seeking re-election—and the Republican candidate almost certain to win there—every incumbent Senate Democrat needs to hold onto their seat for a chance at a 50-50 split in the upper chamber. The most vulnerable of these is Montana’s Jon Tester. The Cook Political Report, Real Clear Politics and 270toWin all categorize this race as a toss-up, and recent polls show Republican challenger Tim Sheehy with a slight lead.

Sen. Tester was a strong advocate for the bipartisan border security bill that Trump directed his GOP loyalists to defeat (and that Sheehy likewise opposes). Sen. Tester also helped to negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure bill. While he is a moderate Democrat who can work across the party divide to find compromise, his opponent, who had a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, by all appearances would be a MAGA standard-bearer.

As of this writing, Sheehy’s campaign website—undeterred by criticism from fact-checkers—continues to make the false and outrageous claim that Sen. Tester supports abortion up until the time of birth. Sheehy opposes the initiative on Montana’s ballot this November that would amend the state constitution to protect reproductive rights. He is a political newcomer from Minnesota who moved to Montana in 2011.

Day 63: Kirsten Engel | AZ-06 | Read | Donate
Day 62: Janelle Bynum | OR-05 | Read | Donate
Day 61: Josh Riley | NY-19 | Read | Donate