Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat running in the nation’s most closely watched Senate race, has not yet endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, despite recruiting her to run for Senate and calling her a “friend.”
Many prominent Democrats have endorsed Harris as their presidential candidate since President Biden left office, but when contacted by Fox News Digital this week about her endorsement, Tester’s office responded to a Sunday press release Tester thanked Biden for his public service. His support Open nomination process.
Tester’s office did not respond to a question about whether he plans to wait until the Democratic National Convention in August to endorse Harris, given that the open primary debate has died down and Harris has already announced her endorsement. was locked up Representatives required for nomination.
Tester’s relationship with Harris goes back years, and the Montana senator allegedly directly involved In 2015, he recruited Harris to run for Senate when she was chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
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Senator Tester has not formally endorsed VP Harris. (Getty Images)
“I get to participate in leadership meetings and influence the direction of the party and what the party does, which allows me to focus on what’s important.” The tester said About his role at DSCC in 2014.
In 2020, Tester called Harris a “friend” and endorsed her as his running mate. Social media posts.
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 12: Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) questions U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on September 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Ungerer)
“We are surprised that Jon Tester is trying to distance himself from Kamala Harris, even though he endorsed her for the Senate seat, strongly supported her as his vice presidential candidate, and was the tie-breaker in 100% of the Senate tie-breaking races,” NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“It appears that Tester is trying to mislead voters in an election year.”
Tester is seeking reelection in a state that former President Trump won by 16 points in 2020 and is widely seen as one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats.
Tester, who has sought to portray his record as a more moderate one ahead of a tough re-election campaign, called on Biden to resign after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week, Fox News Digital reported.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about abortion at Howard University, Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
The Cook Political Report rates Tester’s chances in the race as “50-50.”
