Jon Tester (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Montana. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2025.
Tester (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Montana. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 5, 2024.
He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 with a margin of victory of less than 1 percent over Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns. He most recently won re-election in 2018 in a state that voted for President Donald Trump by more than 20 points. Tester, who described himself as a moderate in a post-election interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, said he won by localizing the race and discussing the cost of healthcare, access to public lands, veterans, and the cost of higher education.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Tester was a member of the Montana State Senate from 1999 to 2006. He served as Senate president from 2005 to 2006.
As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Tester is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.
Tester was born in Havre, Montana, near the town of Big Sandy, Montana, on the land that his grandfather homesteaded in 1916. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Great Falls with a B.S. in music. He 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.
