Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced Wednesday that he’ll run for re-election, a choice that comes as Democrats look to maintain onto their slim Senate majority in 2024.“Montanans want a fighter that can maintain our authorities accountable and demand Washington rise up for veterans and decrease prices for households,” Tester tweeted Wednesday. “I’ll all the time combat to defend our Montana values. Let’s get to work.”Tester, 66, was first elected in 2006, surviving a number of election cycles in the Republican-leaning state of Montana, which then-President Donald Trump gained by about 16 factors in the 2020 presidential election.Tester’s announcement comes after he advised NBC Information earlier this month that he was nonetheless undecided on whether or not to run for re-election in 2024. The Montana senator mentioned on the time that he’s “bought a couple of issues to take into consideration” whereas declining to present a timeline for his determination apart from someday this 12 months.“In the end, in the top, I’ve bought a farm that’s been in the household for over 100 years,” he mentioned.“We bought to be sure that’s taken care of. We bought to be sure that we’ve thought by means of all of the procedures of what’s going to occur over the following eight years. And so as soon as we get by means of with that, then we will come down and decide,” he added.Tester expressed considerations about the way forward for the Democratic Social gathering in the aftermath of the midterm elections in November.In an interview on NBC Information’ “Meet the Press” in December, Tester mentioned he believes his social gathering’s “very dangerous” messaging value them assist in rural America in the midterm elections. The Montana senator urged that Democrats want to focus their messaging “extra on the issues we’re doing for rural America.”Tester mentioned he doesn’t imagine Democrats discuss their accomplishments in a means that appeals to rural voters “almost sufficient,” pointing to the bipartisan infrastructure regulation that Congress handed in 2021.“It’s going to assist rural America massive time, when it comes to broadband and electrical distribution and roads and bridges. We didn’t discuss it,” Tester mentioned on “Meet the Press.” “We didn’t discuss it from a rural perspective.”
