Raymond Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is an American politician and farmer who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Montana. A member of the Democratic Party, Tester served in the Montana Senate from 1999 to 2007, and as its president from 2005 to 2007. As of May 2025, he is a political analyst for MS NOW, and the most recent Democrat to have won or held statewide office in Montana.
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.
During his time in office, Tester 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. He voted against the DREAM Act and against Democratic proposals to expand background checks, and has supported efforts to loosen restrictions on gun exports. Tester supported abortion rights, voted for the Affordable Care Act, and voted for the Respect for Marriage Act.
Early life, education, and farming career
Tester was born on August 21, 1956, in Havre, Montana,"Tester, Jon" , Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 10, 2011. one of three sons of Helen Marie (née Pearson), who was born in North Dakota and David O. Tester, born in Utah. He is the descendant of Mormon pioneers on his father's side. His father was of English descent and his mother was of Swedish ancestry. Tester grew up in Chouteau County, near the town of Big Sandy, Montana, on land that his grandfather homesteaded in 1912.Cohen, Betsy. "Back on the farm" , Helena Independent Record, April 9, 2007. At the age of nine, he lost the middle three fingers of his left hand in a meat-grinder accident.Klein, Joe. "The Democrats' New Populism". Time. July 2, 2006. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Providence (then called the College of Great Falls) with a Bachelor of Arts in music.
Tester then worked for two years as a music teacher in the Big Sandy School District before returning to his family's farm and custom butcher shop."Jon Tester (D-Mont.)" WhoRunsGov.com. Retrieved December 26, 2009. He and his wife continue to operate the farm; in the 1980s, they switched from conventional to organic farming.Lowery, Courtney. "The 'Good Guy' Running for U.S. Senate" , NewWest, August 28, 2005. Tester spent five years as chairman of the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees and was also on the Big Sandy Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Committee and the Chouteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) Committee."Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)". The Almanac of American Politics, National Journal. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
Montana Senate (1999–2007)
Elections Tester was first elected to represent the 45th district in the Montana Senate in 1998. Before running for State Senate, Tester served on the Big Sandy school board for a decade. He was elected the minority whip for the 2001 session. In 2002, he was reelected with 71% of the vote, and he became minority leader in 2003. In 2004 he moved to the 15th district as a "holdover" because of redistricting. In 2005, Tester was elected president of the Montana Senate, the chief presiding officer of the Montana Legislature's upper chamber.
Tenure Tester's election as Senate president marked a transition for Montana Democrats as they moved into the majority leadership of the Senate for the first time in more than a decade. Term limits prohibited Tester from running for State Senate for a third consecutive term. Tester cited a prescription drug benefit program, reinstatement of the "Made in Montana" promotion program, a law to encourage renewable energy development, and his involvement with a bill that led to an historic increase in public school funding as accomplishments while in office.Johnson, Charles S. "Tester begins Demo race for U.S. Senate" , Billings Gazette, May 24, 2005.
Committee assignments Senate Finance Committee (2001–2004) Senate Agriculture Committee (2000–2005) Senate Rules Committee (2003–2005) Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs Committee (2005) Panthera Leo City Council of Petroleum County (2012) Council Interim Committee (2003–2004)
U.S. Senate (2007–2025) Elections 2006
In May 2005, Tester announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by the Republican incumbent Senator Conrad Burns. Tester was the second Democrat to enter the race, after state auditor John Morrison. Tester had more support from his fellow legislators,Johnson, Charles S. "Tester, Morrison list endorsements" , Billings Gazette, May 16, 2006. but Morrison, whose grandfather was governor of Nebraska, raised significantly more money and had greater statewide name recognition. Morrison collected $1.05 million by the beginning of 2006, including $409,241 in the last three months of 2005.Johnson, Charles S. "Burns' fundraising nears $5 million; Morrison's hits $1 million", CQPolitics.com, August 28, 2005. But "Morrison's advantages in fundraising and name identification [did] not translate into a lead in the polls",Horrigan, Marie. "MT Senate: Race to Take On Embattled Burns Nears Finish" , CQPolitics.com, May 31, 2006. most of which showed the race as exceedingly tight; by May 2006, some polls called the primary a "deadlock".Johnson, Charles S. "Tester, Morrison deadlocked". Helena Independent Record. May 28, 2006.
In June 2006, Tester won the Democratic nomination by more than 25 percentage points in a six-way primary.Charles S. Johnson, Tester routs Morrison, will challenge Burns: Embattled incumbent beats Keenan by 3-to-1 margin , Billings Gazette (June 6, 2006). He was said to have "gained momentum in the closing weeks of the campaign through an extensive grass-roots effort". While Tester's pledge to "end secret meetings with lobbyists" was a central issue in his campaign, CNN reported in 2023 that he had not fully followed through on it.
In the November general election, Tester defeated Burns with 199,845 votes (49.2%) to Burns's 196,283 (48.3%). Libertarian Stan Jones received 10,377 votes (2.6%). Tester's victory was confirmed the day after the election.
2012
Tester sought reelection to a second term and was challenged by Republican U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg.
The race was seen as pivotal for both parties. During his first term, Tester split with Democrats on key issues like the Keystone XL oil pipeline; he also voted with his party on issues such as the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd–Frank financial services overhaul.
When announcing his candidacy, Rehberg called Tester a "yes man" for President Obama, saying that he sided with the administration in 97% of his votes. Rehberg cited Tester's support for the ACA and the 2009 stimulus, both of which Rehberg opposed. Tester said that he stood by his votes on both bills, saying that the ACA contained "a lot of good stuff". The Los Angeles Times noted that Tester diverged from his party on matters such as gun rights and illegal immigration.
On Election Day, Tester defeated Rehberg, 49% to 45%. Libertarian Dan Cox received 7% of the vote.
2018
Tester won a third term, defeating Republican nominee Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale in a high-turnout election by 17,913 votes and crossing the 50% vote threshold for the first time in his 4 Senate elections. He received 50% of the vote to Rosendale's 47%. President Donald Trump made a particular effort to unseat Tester, traveling to Montana four times over the preceding months. Despite increased Republican turnout in the state, Tester secured victory due to increased turnout in Democratic-leaning areas, strong support from Native Americans and women, increased support among independent voters, and 67% of the youth vote.
2024
Despite reports that Tester was considering retirement, he announced in February 2023 that he would seek a fourth Senate term. His reelection was considered pivotal for Democrats to maintain their Senate majority in the 119th United States Congress.
Tester was one of the Democratic Party's last remaining red-state U.S. senators, and Montana was one of five states with Senate delegations split between the Republican and Democratic Parties. According to The Washington Post, Republican and Democratic strategists agreed that the race would "be a test of whether [Tester's] authenticity and connection with his home state's voters can override most Montanans' inclination to vote Republican." Trump carried Montana by 16 percentage points in 2020; his margin of victory was larger in 2016. Tester made some moves to distance himself from the Joe Biden administration, but his voting record remained in line with the Democratic Party. In July 2024, Tester called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 United States presidential election. In August, Tester announced that he would not endorse Kamala Harris for president. In the 2024 United States Senate elections, Tester lost to Republican nominee Tim Sheehy, receiving 46% of the vote to Sheehy's 53%.
Tenure
During a 2006 Billings press conference, the Tester campaign released a statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, pledging to give Tester a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee "as soon as possible", regardless of whether Democrats won control of the Senate.Johnson, Charles S. "Dems vow to get Tester on Senate appropriations". Helena Independent Record. October 19, 2006. During Tester's second session of Congress in 2009, he was given a seat on the Appropriations Committee. Tester became chairman of the Banking Committee's Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee in 2013.Barone, The Almanac of American Politics 2014 (Kindle Locations 48474-48476)
Tester opposed the 2013 appointment of Larry Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve; lacking a committee majority, Summers then withdrew his name from consideration.
Tester received more money in campaign contributions from lobbyists than any other member of Congress in 2018. When asked about this, he said it was "bull".
Tester was on Capitol Hill for the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count on January 6, when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. He was in his office in the Hart Senate Office Building when the Capitol was breached. Along with his staff, Tester was evacuated to an undisclosed location for safety. He called the storming a "despicable and dangerous attack on our democracy" and "a coup by domestic terrorists", and blamed Trump for instigating it. He also said that impeachment of Trump was unlikely in the short period of time before Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20. He called fellow Montana senator Steve Daines an "enabler" of the attack, as Daines supported Trump's unproven voter fraud claims.
Committee assignments
Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Defense (chair) Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Subcommittee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Indian Affairs Committee on Veterans' Affairs (chair)
Caucus memberships
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (co-chair) International Conservation Caucus Rare Disease Caucus Senate Taiwan Caucus
Political positions