Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who has occasionally approached Donald Trump as he seeks reelection in Montana, a state that Trump won by 16 points in 2020, has a long history of blaming racism for Trump's popularity.
Tester, a lifelong Montana farmer, is trying to present himself as a moderate in his Senate race against Republican challenger Tim Sheehy. Well advertised It's unclear how many times Tester has worked with Trump, but he has a long history of denouncing support for the president as being motivated by racism.
“Trump spoke directly to rural America that most Democrats ignored. Trump galvanized white voters who have struggled for years as mostly white communities suffered, lost jobs and opportunities, and businesses closed,” Tester wrote in his 2020 book, “Grounded: A Senator's Lesson on Winning Back Rural America.”
“Trump resorted to an old and effective strategy of elevating himself by bringing others down – stoking race-based fears and giving angry and frightened white voters license to distrust other religions, other cultures and other people. Trump touched on the deep, troubling roots of racism in rural America – it can't be eradicated overnight, but it can't be ignored either.”
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Senator Jon Tester arrives at a Senate Appropriations Committee Defense Subcommittee hearing on June 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the book, Tester argues that the reason people support Trump no matter what is because there is an “undercurrent of racial tension.”
“Trump brought charisma to politics for millions of ordinary people, making him approachable, tough, and trustworthy,” Tester wrote. “And so, when Trump's own policies hurt America's farmers and manufacturers, they ignored their own interests and followed him in solidarity, with undeniable underlying racial tensions.”
Testers too He told the New York Times In 2020, he said he “cannot understand” how appealing Trump is to rural Americans.
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Tester questioned recent unfavorable polling results for his race in Montana. (Reuters)
“There's no question about it. He's popular in rural America,” Tester said. “I don't understand it, but I can't deny it. But I also think there are long-term structural issues — and by the way, Chuck Schumer and I have had this conversation a few times — that we've got to get better at crafting a message that allows rural Americans to say, 'Yes, they think like me,' because that's what Trump thinks right now.”
Monica Robinson, a spokesperson for Montanans Supporting Tester, told Fox News Digital that Tester “is considered one of the most effective and bipartisan senators because he will work with anyone for Montana.”
“No matter who's in the White House, Jon Tester will always do what's right for Montana,” she added. “That's why Jon has consistently stood up to the Biden Administration on so many issues, from border security to protecting Montana from bureaucratic regulations that harm rural America, and why President Trump has signed more than 20 of his bills into law.”
“Jon Tester hates Donald Trump, which is why he routinely insults Trump's supporters and calls for physically assaulting Trump,” Maggie Abboud, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Senatorial Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Former President Trump speaks at a rally in Uniondale, New York, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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“Montana citizens can see through two-faced Tester's shameless attempt to align himself with Trump at a time when they need their voters.”
Many experts believe Montana is Republicans' best chance to regain control of the Senate in 2024, and recent polls suggest Sheehy has a slight edge.
The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan election forecasting organization, recently changed the race from “close” to “Republican favored,” while Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics changed the race to “Republican favored.”
Fox News Digital's Aubrey Spady contributed to this report.
