Jon Tester

Jon Tester
Official portrait, 2014
United States Senator
from Montana
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Serving with Steve Daines
Preceded byConrad Burns
Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
Assumed office
February 3, 2021
Preceded byJerry Moran
Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office
January 3, 2017 – February 3, 2021
Preceded byRichard Blumenthal
Succeeded byJerry Moran
Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017
LeaderHarry Reid
Preceded byMichael Bennet
Succeeded byChris Van Hollen
Chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
In office
February 12, 2014 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byMaria Cantwell
Succeeded byJohn Barrasso
President of the Montana Senate
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
DeputyDan Harrington
Preceded byBob Keenan
Succeeded byMike Cooney
Member of the Montana Senate
In office
January 4, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byLoren Jenkins
Succeeded byJim Peterson
Constituency
  • 15th (2005–2007)
  • 45th (1999–2005)
Personal details
Born
Raymond Jon Tester

(1956-08-21) August 21, 1956 (age 68)
Big Sandy, Montana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sharla Bitz
(m. 1978)
Children3
EducationCollege of Great Falls (BA)
Signature
Website

Raymond Jon Tester[1] (born August 21, 1956) is an American politician and farmer serving since 2007 as the senior United States senator from Montana. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the dean of Montana's congressional delegation, and has been the only congressional Democrat since 2015, and since 2021 the only Democrat holding statewide office in Montana. He served in the Montana Senate from 1999 to 2007, and as its president for his last two years in the chamber.

Tester was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in one of the closest Senate races of that year. He narrowly won reelection in 2012 and 2018. He ran for reelection to a fourth term in 2024, losing to Republican nominee Tim Sheehy. His loss was one of four Republican flips in the Senate during the 2024 elections, the other three being in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.[2]

Tester is known for some of his moderate positions. He voted for the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which rolled back parts of the Dodd–Frank Act, and joined Republicans in supporting a measure to delay certain environmental regulations affecting coal power plants. Tester voted against the DREAM Act and against Democratic proposals to expand background checks, and has supported efforts to loosen restrictions on gun exports. At the same time, Tester has supported Democratic priorities such as the Affordable Care Act, the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and abortion rights.

  1. ^ "Otis McDonald, et al. v. City of Chicago, Illinois, et al" (PDF). American Bar Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2014.
  2. ^ "U.S. Senate Election Live Results 2024". The New York Times. November 5, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2024.

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