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Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is launching the first TV ad of his 2024 re-election campaign, as he vies for his fourth term in a red state seen by both parties as crucial to Senate control.
The spot, called “Big Sandy,” uses upbeat music and Tester’s voice to highlight his roots as a third-generation Montanan. It casts him as a Washington outsider seeking to combat Montana’s rising costs, to “expand veterans’ clinics, and save our rural hospitals and schools.”
“I know the Montana that’s worth protecting, because I’ve lived it every day,” Tester says in the ad, which includes imagery of farm land in Montana.
The ad, first reported by NBC News, was described by Tester’s campaign as set to run statewide, backed by “a significant six-figure buy."
It could be the toughest race of Tester’s career, after he has spent years defying political gravity and winning in a state where Republicans routinely clobber other Democrats in federal elections. Donald Trump won Montana by more than 16 points in 2020.
Montana could play a pivotal role in deciding which party controls the Senate, with Democrats currently holding a 51-49 edge and facing a difficult map, playing defense in a host of red and purple states. Republicans need a net gain of two seats to flip the Senate outright, or a net gain of one seat plus the tie-breaking vice presidency.
“Folks back in Washington and even some folks moving here don’t understand, or frankly don’t care, what’s happening out here,” Tester says in the ad. “I’m defending our way of life with everything I’ve got. I’m protecting our freedoms. Because Montanans don’t like to be told how to live by anyone, especially the government.”