Third-generation dirt farmer Sen. Jon Tester didn’t take kindly to having his reputation soiled by revelations he sports a red Prius in Washington, DC.
Tester (D-Mont.), a vulnerable incumbent, bristled at a press release from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which quickly seized on the discovery it deemed a “bombshell.”
“What a bunch of jacka–es,” Tester shot back during a brief scrum with reporters, before rattling off some of the gas-guzzling vehicles that he owns back home.
“I’ve got an ‘86 Chevy. I got a 2018 GMC. I got a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. I’ve got a Celica. I’ve got a Peterbilt. I’ve got a ‘67 International Truck. I’ve got a ‘96 International Truck. I’ve got a ‘78 GMC truck. Want me to keep going?”
The Senate GOP’s official campaign arm — keen on flipping his seat this November — spotlighted footage of Tester getting into his Prius just outside the Capitol Building and a Washington Post report that noted his vehicle of choice for navigating the nation’s capital.
NRSC officials appeared eager to lump him in with the DC elite.
Following Tester’s clapback, a spox for the Republican committee chided, “There aren’t a lot of dirt farmers in Montana who drive a Prius. Jon Tester has gone Washington.”
Notably, the NRSC is chaired by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who personally pushed for former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy to be the GOP choice to take on Tester.
As the head of the NRSC, Daines has been particularly focused on candidate quality and recruitment for the Nov. 5 elections.
Tester’s communications director Monica Robinson also took aim at the NRSC attack.
“The NRSC, with their finger firmly on the pulse of Montanans, comes out swinging against Jon Tester for his shared hobby of restoring old cars with his son,” Robinson posted on X.
Montana is one of the reddest states in the country, having gone for former President Donald Trump over President Biden by over 16 percentage points in 2020.
It’s also one of three states that the Cook Political Report deems a toss-up for Senate contests in 2024.
Tester, who has served in the Senate since 2007, most recently won reelection in 2018 when he edged out retiring Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) by just over 3 percentage points during a blue wave year.
He has long cast himself as a burley, seven-fingered, third-generation farmer and is one of the rare Democrats that prevailed in a federal contest for a rural state.
Given the 51 to 49 split in the Senate and the fact that Democrats have to effectively defend 23 seats relative to the GOP’s 11 this cycle, Montana’s race could help determine the balance of power in the upper chamber.
