Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., will skip a scheduled meeting with President Biden’s campaign advisers on Thursday and will not elaborate on his reasons for doing so amid growing concerns in Congress about Biden’s fitness to act.
The Montana Democrat, who is in danger, told reporters on Wednesday that he would not attend a special meeting of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced that afternoon with Biden’s senior advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon.
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Senators facing imperiled re-election have been absent from special meetings with Biden campaign advisers. (Getty Images)
Tester did not give a reason for his absence, except for a “scheduling conflict” his office said, but declined to provide details about the scheduling conflict when asked by Fox News Digital.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who is seeking reelection in Virginia, also will not attend the special meeting with Biden campaign advisers. The state has recently trended favorably toward former President Trump amid concerns about Biden’s health.
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Senate Democrats seeking reelection may be hoping that split-party votes will become more frequent as Biden’s approval rating declines. (Getty Images)
Kaine told reporters on Wednesday he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to attend because he plans to campaign in Virginia, close to the Capitol.
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Senator Tim Kaine is up for re-election in November. (Getty Images)
“Senator Kaine was unable to postpone a planned event at this time,” a Kaine campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “As you saw yesterday, this event was planned at the last minute and with very little notice, we were unable to coordinate to hold the event at the DSCC.”
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Heinrich is seeking re-election in New Mexico. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
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Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who is also up for reelection in his state in November, will also be at the event with Biden’s team. Heinrich appeared to be on the phone with his ear on Tuesday but did not answer a question from Fox News Digital about whether Biden is fit to be president.
The campaigns and Senate offices of Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York did not immediately comment when asked whether they would attend.
