As the financial crisis gathered steam in 2007/2008, Congress held several hearings and grilled senior bankers. I watched these hearings with interest from my desk, knowing it was my industry and chosen profession on trial. Many of those hearings were at the Senate committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. This has always been a heavy-weight committee, with a lot of Senators from urban states with large banks jockeying to be on it. I had expected senators who represent major money centers on the coasts and in the mid-west to know the subject matter. But it was a genuine surprised to hear some of the most perceptive questions come from a Senator with an accent as rugged as the high Rockies. Montana has no major banking centers, yet it was clear Sen. Tester knew how banks worked. As a farmer, he had to borrow money, and transact futures for his crops. These can be complicated contracts, but he understood them and brought this experience to bear both during and after the crisis.
Ever since then, I’ve given (small) amounts to Sen. Tester’s campaigns and paid more attention to him than I have to any other senator from the four huge, sparsely populated states in the northern Rockies and Black Hills. Following his campaigns also taught me an important political lesson. We should not give up on supposedly “red” states, just because Republicans have an edge there. Trump won Montana by 20% (Obama had lost it by 2.3%, or 10,000 votes) but Tester has been ahead in most polls.
Not only is Tester a hard-working, well-informed politician, he’s also a smart and effective campaigner. He knows that campaigns are about appealing to people in recognizable, identifiable ways. Over several campaigns, he has cultivated the undeniably real image of a Montana farmer. He’s sometimes called Senator Flat Top, since that is the haircut he sports. He still works his family farm, and never shies away from reminding us that he’s the only working farmer in the Senate. His campaign managers consistently remind reporters that Tester lost three of his fingers as a child while operating a meat grinder at the farm. He knows how to win campaigns in Montana.
Nothing is for certain of course, Donald Trump has had it in for Senator Tester ever since he raised serious questions about Ronny Jackson’s nomination to lead the VA. Trump’s oafish first-born called Tester “a piece of garbage” while campaigning in Montana earlier today. Trump himself is heading to Montana for a fourth visit to campaign against Tester.
I’ve got to believe that the good people of Montana can distinguish between a silver-spooned phony like Jr. whose father shits on gold toilets, and a farmer who understands their lives. It does seem like more Montanans have come to recognize the Trumps for the charlatans they are. Though Trump’s approval in Montana is still at 54%, independents have a favorable opinion of Tester and Democratic governor Steve Bullock.
In my view, it would be difficult for Democrats to field a better candidate than Jon Tester in a state like Montana. He’s good on Healthcare, environmental issues and women’s rights. Montana has a significant American Indian population, Tester is a fierce advocate and enjoys high levels of support among Native Americans.
This is still a tight race with only 10 days to go, so you should go volunteer if you can. The 2012 Senate election saw just under 500,000 votes cast in Montana. Tester won by roughly 20,000 votes. Mid-term elections have generally seen 350,000 voters. Montana is one of the states where an individual volunteer can make an actual difference in a race. And Jon Tester is undeniably a great choice for Montana, and for the US Senate.
— @subirgrewal