Montana’s senior senator says he’s willing to give President-elect Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt.
“Let’s give him a chance. Who knows, we might be pleasantly surprised. And if we’re not, we’ll hold him accountable,” said Senator Jon Tester.
Tester says he hopes Democrats and Republicans can find enough common ground to pass important legislation.
Tester cites infrastructure and good agricultural trade deals as two priorities.
Thehill.com reported Wednesday that Democrats may have a tough time regaining control of the Senate in 2018.
Tester’s seat was identified as one of ten that could flip. Tester disagrees.
“A month in politics is a long time. Two years is an eternity. This is going to be a lot of fun for me, setting the record straight. And finally, (Democratic Governor Steve Bullock’s re-election) proves that Montanans split their tickets. They’ve done that since the beginning of time,” Tester said.
Montana voters last week re-elected Democratic Governor Steve Bullock, but handed big victories to a slew of Republican candidates. Donald Trump’s margin of victory here was 20 points.
Tester has confirmed that he will run for reelection in 2018.