Senator Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, will not be attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month, where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to be acclaimed as the Democratic nominee for president. Instead, he has chosen to remain in Montana to focus on a competitive race to retain his Senate seat.
A representative for Tester conveyed to Fox News Digital that the senator “intends to spend his August engaging in farming and meeting with Montanans directly.”
Harris, who was officially named the Democratic presidential nominee last week, has not yet received an endorsement from Tester.
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Tester won’t be attending the Democratic National Convention. (Getty Images)
In response to inquiries about a possible endorsement last week, he informed Fox News’ Kelly Phares, “Our current focus is entirely on my race.”
“We’re going to win. The presidential race will be addressed when we have the opportunity,” he stated.
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Tester called on Biden to suspend his campaign last month. (Anna Moneymaker)
Tester’s choice to skip the DNC follows a similar decision by Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, who is also facing a tough election. In a recent interview, Brown stated, “I won’t be attending the convention. I often skip conventions,” during a discussion with CNN.
Both Tester and Brown’s contests are classified as “Toss Ups” by the non-partisan political analyst the Cook Political Report. Other Senate races in Nevada and Michigan fall under this category as well.
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Brown’s race is also a “toss up.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Both incumbent senators have also united in urging President Biden to withdraw from the race last month, which added to the mounting pressure on him to discontinue his campaign.
Other vulnerable Democratic senators such as Jacky Rosen from Nevada, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, and Bob Casey from Pennsylvania did not comment when asked by Fox News Digital if they planned to attend the DNC.
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Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. (Kevin Dietsch/Louise Johns)
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The apparent disinterest in attending the DNC contrasts sharply with the engagement seen from their Republican adversaries at the recent Republican National Convention held last month.
Republican figures, including former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy in Montana, retired Army Captain Sam Brown in Nevada, veteran Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, former Congressman Mike Rogers in Michigan, and businessman Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, all participated in the RNC, where they also made speeches.
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