Jon Tester

Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956), a Democrat, has been the Junior Senator from the state of Montana since 2007. He is the first member of the Senate to post his daily schedule online.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Tester posts daily schedule online
With his inauguration in 2007, Tester became the first member of the Senate to post his daily schedule online. It can be found here.

Calls for acting Attorney General to step down
On May 3rd the Washington Post reported that Sen. Tester called for Montana's acting Attorney General William W. Mercer to resign; after a federal judge found that he was "violating a federal law that requires him to live in Montana". Mercer, advocated for the law to be changed. Tester was quoted as saying "Mr. Mercer was operating outside federal law, so he had the law changed. That might work in Alberto Gonzales's Justice Department, but it's not how we do business in Montana."

Biography
Born in 1956 near the town of Big Sandy, MT, where he now lives, Tester graduated from the University of Great Falls with a degree in music. He worked as a music teacher after graduation. Tester, a third generation farmer, runs an organic farm; he and wife went organic in the 1980s after they realized they could make more money while avoiding the sicknesses that they got from the pesticides. As a boy Tester lost parts of three fingers on his left hand in a meat grinding accident.

In 1998, he successfully ran for Montana State Senate, and in 2005 was named Senate President. In Montana, State Senators are term-limited after two four-year terms. In 2005, at the end of his second term, Tester decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Sen. Conrad Burns. He and his wife Sharla have two children. 

2006 Senate race
In the Democratic primary Tester faced State Auditor John Morrison, a well-financed candidate backed by the National Democratic Party. Morrison, with a huge fund raising advantage, was expected to defeat Tester. Tester's popularity and grassroots approach led him to a large margin of victory in the June 6th primary.

Tester has focused his campaign against incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns as one between a Montana farmer and a Senator who has become to tied to the political structure in Washington. Allegations of impropriety in Burns' ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff have helped Tester make this argument. Tester is also a vocal opponent of the Iraq War and "wants Bush to draft a planned exit strategy that would lead to a shift in which Iraqis would be trained to take over their own country."

In a debate Burns attacked Tester for wanting to "weaken the Patriot Act". Tester clarified his position by stating, "I don't want to weaken the Patriot Act, I want to repeal it. What it does, it takes away your freedom ... and when you take away our freedoms, the terrorists have won."

Tester has sounded a populist note on economic issues in the campaign. He has called for fair trade policies and assailed free trade agreements as destructive to Montana farms, agriculture, and quality U.S. jobs. Tester stated that free trade policies "have been hurting Montana workers and Montana farmers, and resulting in the outsourcing of jobs."

Tester defeated Burns by less than 3000 votes, a victory that was instrumental in winning Democrats control of the Senate. 

2008 superdelegate

 * Dem Con Watch
 * Obama's campaign gave $5,000 to Tester.

Money in politics
cid=N00027605&cycle=2008

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
 * Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Water and Power
 * Subcommittee on Energy
 * Subcommittee on National Parks
 * Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
 * Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development

More Background Data

 * See how you compare to Jon Tester

Resources

 * Jon Tester for U.S. Senate, official campaign site.
 * Jon Tester/Schedule: The Congresspedia archive of Sen. Tester's schedule.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Last Best Place''
 * 4&20 blackbirds.
 * A Chicken Is Not Pillage.
 * Intelligent Discontent.
 * Left in the West.
 * Compare where Jon Tester stands on the issues - whereIstand.com

Articles

 * Bob Brigham, "MT-Sen: Jon Tester to Beat Burns," Swing State Project, May 24, 2005.
 * Jamie Kelly, "Pearl Jammin' for a Senate seat," Missoulian, July 22, 2005.
 * Courtney Lowery, "The “Good Guy” Running for U.S. Senate," New West, August 28, 2005.
 * Charles Johnson, "Burns' fundraising nears $5 million; Morrison's hits $1 million," Billings Gazette, February 1, 2006.
 * Jonathan Singer, "MyDD Conversation with MT-Sen Candidate Jon Tester," MyDD.com, February 27, 2006.
 * Charles Johnson, "Tester, Morrison deadlocked," Helena Independent-Record, May 28, 2006.
 * Marie Horrigan, "MT Senate: Race to Take On Embattled Burns Nears Finish," CQ Politics, May 31, 2006.
 * John Nichols, "'Tester Time' in Montana," The Nation, June 1, 2006 (post); June 19, 2006 (issue).
 * Joe Klein, "The Democrats' New Populism," Time Magazine, July 2, 2006.
 * Todd Wilkinson, "Montana GOP Trumpets Hannity Rant Against Tester, Daily Kos and War Protestors," New West, August 2, 2006.
 * Marie Horrigan, "Burns’ Edge in Montana Senate Race Goes Up in Smoke," CQ Politics, August 3, 2006.
 * Gwen Florio, "Tester: 'Burns sold out'," Great Falls Tribune (Montana), August 6, 2006.
 * Charles Johnson, "Iraq center of divide between Burns, Tester," Missoulian, September 17, 2006.
 * Matt Gouras, "Tester dismisses Clinton as presidential candidate," Helena Independent-Record, October 13, 2006.
 * Matthew Continetti, "How the West Was Won," Weekly Standard, October 30, 2006.
 * Timothy Egan, "A Redder Kind of Democrat in a Close Montana Contest," New York Times, November 4, 2006.
 * Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Democrats' Victory Is Felt On K Street," Washington Post, November 23, 2006.
 * Joshua Frank, "Jon Tester's Neopopulism. The Montana Formula," BrickBurner.org, December 1, 2006.
 * Noelle Straub, "Baucus, Tester explain war votes," Billings Gazette (Montana), May 18, 2007.
 * Matt Singer, "Do Jon and Max Really Think Harry Reid and Russ Feingold Dislike the Troops?" Left in the West, May 18, 2007.