Tester Calls on Biden to Withdraw from Presidential Race
The senator, who is up for reelection this November, became the second Senate Democrat to publicly urge the president to abandon his reelection bid. He has said he supports an open nomination process at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
By Denali Sagner & Micah Drew
Montana’s Democratic Sen. Jon Tester released a statement on Thursday night urging President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, becoming the second member of the Senate to do so publicly.
Tester called for Biden to abandon his reelection campaign, saying that while he has “worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger,” he has “never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong” and believes “Biden should not seek reelection to another term.”
The senator said he supports an open nomination process at the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Tester has not voiced specific support for Vice President Kamala Harris, a likely replacement for Biden at the top of the ticket should the president step down in the coming days.
Biden allies told various news outlets yesterday that the president is beginning to accept the idea that he may lose in November and that he may have to drop out of the race. Tester’s push for Biden to abandon the race intensified building pressure in Washington, with 30 Democrats in Congress now calling on the president to drop out. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich this morning urged Biden to end his campaign, following Tester as the third Senate Democrat to do so after Vermont Sen. Pete Welch.
Despite growing pressure, the Biden campaign released a memo on Friday doubling down on the president’s reelection bid and stating that Biden is “in it to win it.” The memo was first reported by NBC News.
Tester’s announcement was met with criticism from Republicans, who called the senator “two-faced” and described the move as a political calculation ahead of a competitive race for the senator’s seat.
Tim Sheehy, the Republican candidate attempting to oust Tester from the Senate in November, said in a statement, “Is Jon Tester finally admitting he lied when he told us Biden is 100% with it?! And does this mean he’s endorsing his former colleague Kamala Harris? After voting 95% with Joe Biden — the worst President in American history — Two-Faced Tester is desperately trying to distance himself from the train wreck he’s enabled and forced on Montanans. Why? Because he’s losing this race. Leading from behind isn’t leadership. Montana deserves better.”
Tester last August told NBC News that the president was “absolutely 100% with it” — nearly a year ago. Aides have reported Biden’s rapid decline occurring over recent months, culminating in his poor debate performance last month.
Jake Eaton, Republican political strategist, said Tester’s statement was “just 100% a political calculation.”
“If he was serious about it, he would have done it six months ago,” he said.
The Sheehy campaign in recent months has attempted to tie Tester to the Biden administration, blaming the senator for an increase in immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border and high inflation.
A GOP-aligned PAC has spent over $15 million on ads accusing Tester of “supporting Biden’s border disaster” and claiming that Tester “voted to allow President Biden to stop building the border wall.”
The Tester campaign has repeatedly distanced the senator from Biden, however, highlighting times the senator has broken with the his party on border security and veterans’ issues.
The campaign in a June email wrote, “Jon continues to crush unnecessary regulations from the Biden administration, stand up for our veterans and seniors, fight for Montana’s workers, and work to expand funding for youth programs.”
Democrats say Tester’s independence has allowed him to remain successful despite the party’s overall unpopularity in the state.
A Montana Democratic strategist told the Beacon that the fate of the Biden campaign “is not going to impact Jon or the way he runs his race.”
The strategist said Montanans see Tester as authentic and that Republicans are unsuccessfully attempting to “nationalize this race as much as possible.”
According to a Morning Consult poll, while Tester has lost some ground with Republicans, he remains the most popular vulnerable Democratic senator with unaffiliated voters.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional context, as well as comments from Republican senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s campaign and political strategists.