Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) expressed skepticism about recent polls that showed he may lose his Montana Senate seat, leading two prominent political forecasters to change their election forecasts in favor of Republicans.
“If you look at the AARP poll, you see that it's totally at odds with reality,” he told reporters Thursday.
Tester, in particular, took issue with the fact that his approval rating is so similar to that of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Senators briefed on 'serious errors' that led to assassination attempt on Trump
Sen. Jon Tester arrives to attend a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on Homeland Security at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum)
Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, polled ahead of Tester, 49% to 41%, as did former President Donald Trump, who polled ahead of Harris, 56% to 41%.
“I'm not kidding myself,” the Montana Democrat said of receiving the same percentage of the vote as Harris.
“I'm not saying the polls aren't good,” he added.
Democrats oppose border bill, Republicans say it's 'not designed to solve the problem'
Senator Tester has suggested that internal polls show him beating his Republican opponent by a significant margin. (Getty Images)
“It's a race now with a margin of error,” Tester said.
The AARP poll was conducted by the nonpartisan polling team Fabrizio Ward (R) and David Binder Research (D). 1,064 voters were interviewed between August 25 and 29, and the overall sampling margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Tester also told reporters he didn't think anything of the Cook Political Report's decision to change his race to “Lean Republican.”
Asked if he was worried about his declining approval ratings, he replied: “I'm not worried.”
Top handicapper gives Republican Tim Sheehy the edge over Democrat Jon Tester in Montana race
Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy speaks during the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-Montana) claimed for the first time that Republicans will retake the Senate majority in the next elections.
“We're going to have a majority in the Senate,” he said.
“51 is the number we want to get to. Obviously there are opportunities to exceed it, but 51 is the number we have to get to,” he explained.
Tester also addressed why he hasn't yet endorsed Harris on Thursday, explaining, “It's because I want to take care of Montana.”
Texas Democratic Senator's ad focuses on border wall he once called “racist”
Tester took issue with the fact that his approval rating reputation is so similar to that of Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)
While Tester has refused to explicitly endorse Harris, he reportedly personally encouraged her to run for Senate in 2015 when he was chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
More recently, Tester supported President Biden's selection of Harris as his 2020 running mate, writing to X, “My friend Kamala Harris is a proven fighter and the ideal choice to be your Vice President. I am confident that as Vice President she will continue to fight for our country's working families. I look forward to cheering her on and Joe Biden in November.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
Tester has been re-elected twice in Republican Montana but has never appeared on the same ballot as Trump, who won the state twice, in 2016 and 2020.
Sheehy has been particularly vocal about his support for Trump as he faces a tough election campaign.
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
