Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) has chosen to skip the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month, where Democrats are rallying to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, instead staying in Montana ahead of a fierce battle to keep his Senate seat.
A spokesman for the longtime Montana Democrat told Fox News Digital that Tester “plans to spend the month of August working in the farm and meeting with Montanans in person.”
Harris, who officially became the Democratic presidential nominee last week, has yet to receive Tester’s endorsement.
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Tester will not attend the Democratic National Convention. (Getty Images)
When asked about a possible endorsement last week, he told Fox News’ Kelly Phares, “We’re currently working on my campaign and I’m completely focused on that.”
“We will win, and when we have time, we will work on the presidential election,” he said.
Though Tester was reluctant to endorse Harris, he reportedly directly promoted her first bid for Senate in 2016. As chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) at the time, Tester recruited and encouraged Harris, now the vice president, to run for Senate in California, The Post reported. Los Angeles Times.
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Tester last month called on Biden to halt his campaign activities. (Anna Moneymaker)
Tester’s decision to not attend the Democratic National Convention comes after fellow underdog Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio said in a recent interview that he also plans to skip the convention. “I’m not going to the convention. I often skip conventions,” he said. CNN.
Both the Tester and Brown races are rated “toss-ups” by nonpartisan political handicappers. Cook Political ReportThe Senate races in Nevada and Michigan also fall into this category.
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Brown’s election campaign is also a 50-50 chance. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Two current Democratic senators last month each publicly called on Biden to resign, adding to the pressure to eventually end the campaign.
Fellow Democrats Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania did not respond to Fox News Digital when asked whether they would attend the Democratic National Convention.
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Senator Jon Tester and Montana Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. (Kevin Dietsch/Louise Johns)
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The lack of interest and enthusiasm in attending the DNC stands in stark contrast to his Republican opponents and last month’s Republican National Convention.
Republican candidates, including former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy running in Montana, retired Army Captain Sam Brown running in Nevada, military veteran Dave McCormick running in Pennsylvania, former Congressman Mike Rogers running in Michigan, and businessman Eric Hovde running in Wisconsin, all attended the Republican National Convention and each candidate gave a speech at the convention.
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