A vulnerable senator is refusing to endorse Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, despite being a longtime ally of the vice president.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) has played a key role in Harris’s rise to power.
Tester was reportedly central in securing Harris’s recruitment to the Senate
However, Tester will not be making an endorsement in the presidential election where VHarris is running as the Democrat nominee.
Tester previously served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) from 2015 to 2017.
The senator led the efforts of the campaign arm to elect Democrats to the chamber when Harris first announced her senatorial aspirations.
After Harris launched her California Senate bid, the Los Angeles Times reported in January 2015 that, according to an adviser, Tester was one of the players encouraging her to run.
Despite his previous support for Harris, Tester said he will not be making an endorsement in this year’s race.
He claims he can’t endorse Harris because he is too busy focusing on his own re-election bid.
“I’m not going to endorse for the presidential – and I will tell you why,” Tester said during a recent press conference in Hamilton, Montana.
“Two reasons: No. 1, I’m focused on my race.
“And No. 2, folks have wanted to nationalize this race, and this isn’t about national politics.
“This is about Montana,” he added.
However, Tester endorsed Harris for vice president after she was tapped as Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020.
In an August 2020 post on X, Tester wrote:
“My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President.
“As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country.
“Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November.”
The senator has remained distant from the Democrat ticket for several months.
Tester is currently seeking re-election in a state that President Donald Trump won by 16 points in 2020.
In a statement, Monica Robinson, a spokesperson for Montanans for Tester, said:
“No matter who is in the White House, Jon Tester always does what’s right for Montana.
“It’s why Jon has consistently stood up to the Biden-Harris administration on issues like securing the border and protecting Montana from burdensome energy regulations, and it’s why President Trump signed more than 20 of his bills into law.”
“Jon’s strong record of defending Montana is why Republicans from across the state, from elected officials to business owners to Trump voters, endorsed Jon in his campaign for Senate.”
The Montana Democrat was one of the first senators to call on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race in July.
Tester was also one of three vulnerable Senate Democrats who did not attend the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week.
Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination for president during the convention.
Tester faces opposition in one of the most crucial Senate races of the 2024 cycle from retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy.
“Jon Tester skipping Kamala Harris’ DNC coronation will not hide the fact that he launched her political career by recruiting her to the U.S. Senate and votes with her radical agenda 95% of the time,” Sheehy said.
“Jon Tester, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz are all loyal America Last Democrats who support open borders, amnesty and checks for illegal immigrants, higher taxes, and Green New Scam energy policies that Montanans will reject in November.
“Come November, Montanans will help send President Trump back to the White House and put an end to the insanity of the disastrous Harris-Tester agenda for good.”
The Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, currently positions Tester’s race as a “toss-up.”
https://slaynews.com/news/longtime-kamala-harris-ally-refuses-endorse-her-campaign-president/
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