Three-term U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has made reproductive freedom for women a hallmark of his campaign
Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has made protecting reproductive freedom for women central to his campaign to remain the sole remaining Democrat to hold statewide elective office in Big Sky Country. He has campaigned with Planned Parenthood officials, advertised heavily in support of abortion rights, and embraced a ballot proposal to make abortion a state constitutional right.
Yet one woman Tester notably isn’t talking about much on the campaign trail is Vice President Kamala Harris.
With control of the Senate at stake, the seats held by Tester and Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio top the list for potential Republican pickups this fall. Former President Donald Trump is expected to win the two reliably red states by wide margins, so the Democratic lawmakers must walk a political tightrope to keep from alienating too many of his supporters.
That includes minimal mention of Harris, with her ties to an administration that’s unpopular in their states, even as her trailblazing effort to become the nation’s first female president energizes abortion rights supporters.
Tester, in an interview, said the desire to protect abortion access will attract voters “regardless of political ilk.”
“I think it appeals to people across the board because it’s about freedom, and Montana is a freedom-loving state,” he said. “This issue comes up more than any other issue.”
Both Tester and Brown could benefit from any momentum Harris’ presidential bid injects into key Democratic voting blocs, but if they do it almost certainly will happen quietly. Neither attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month.
At least one observer thinks they’re being too careful.
“Democrats are not capitalizing on this very well, not just in Montana but in general,” said Paul Pope, a political analyst at Montana State University Billings.
Tester, Pope said, “has not moved the needle much. If he endorses Harris, he has the opportunity to capitalize on the broad support she has, and the excitement.”
Republicans in both states, meanwhile, are doing everything they can to knock the incumbent senators off their political tightrope. Staggering amounts of money have been spent by both sides in the two states.
Democrats so far have outspent Republicans in Montana, and Republicans have bet more heavily on Ohio, according to AdImpact, which tracks advertising by campaigns nationwide. Spending by the candidates and outside groups on television, radio and digital advertisements is on track to hit $636 million, the data show, including almost $400 million in Ohio and $240 million in Montana.
