Senator Jon Tester says he has not yet made up his mind on running again in 2024. The three-term Democrat says he needs to talk it over with his wife, Sharla, first.
“I’m going to make that decision after the first of the year. We had a really busy fall in the Senate. We had a really busy fall on the farm, so I haven’t had a chance to visit with Sharla.”
Tester most recently won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2018 with just over 50 percent of the vote, beating challenger Republican Matt Rosendale. Tester has been one of the few members of his party to find success in statewide elections in recent years. He’s now the only Democrat elected to a statewide office in Montana.
Montana Republicans hold every other office and, during midterms, won a supermajority in the state Legislature.
Tester, in a press call this week, gave this message to Democrats in the statehouse:
“Fight for what's right for Montana. And stick to the issues that revolve around business and jobs, education, health care.”
Among his committee assignments, Tester sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee, is chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee and sits on the Indian Affairs Committee.
