For the Democratic party, this is a powerful new archetype. In his demeanor, in his approach to politics, Tester is the common man, the simple citizen. As a politician, he projects these personal qualities into a message of common sense, the common good, and representation of the little guy. In that, Tester's political approach shows us how to recapture what Americans have always liked about the Democrats, that it's the party of the little guy.
Posted by admin at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
SHOWDOWN 06: The Washington Monthly
Montana's Sen-elect Jon Tester has been tapped for the Energy committee, which ought to be a hotspot over the next two years. I'm a little disappointed, though, that the first organic farmer turned senator didn't also get a spot on the Agriculture committee; next year's Farm Bill promises to be an epic showdown among traditional ag interests, conservationists, and energy proponents -- Tester would have been welcome.
Posted by admin at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
Daily Kos: The Day After
from my perspective, no Senate seat was more important than Montana's. This win was obviously huge for the netroots, but a far more important victory for the Party, the state of Montana, and the nation. Jon Tester is the new face of the Democratic majority, reflecting integrity, pragmatism, and a rock-solid commitment to using government to fix the things that it should be fixing--health care, energy independence, education--and away from the things that should be irrelevant to governance, those values issues the GOP became so fond of in recent years. He's shown us how to win with a new message of change. We'll take that message, and use it to get the rest of those western red states in '08.
Posted by admin at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)
MT-SEN: Morning Update: Tester Clings To 1,556-Vote Lead | TPMCafe
Comments:
If exactly 99% of precincts have reported, assuming same number of votes per precinct, total votes =
393309.
So remaining votes = 3933.
1586 should be safe against that, no??
Posted by admin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Hotline On Call: Long Day In Montana?
Democratic officials are confident that Jon Tester (D) will win.
Posted by admin at 07:46 AM | Comments (0)
Great Falls Tribune - www.greatfallstribune.com - Great Falls, MT
If Burns doesn't have a clear majority over Democratic opponent Jon Tester of Big Sandy among the absentee voters, it could indicate trouble for his campaign, said Wilson. But he cautioned that more Republicans traditionally vote absentee than Democrats.
Posted by admin at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to — Montana. Control of the U.S. Senate may hinge on the outcome of this race.
Posted by admin at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle has endorsed Jon Tester for Senate. That makes it every single major newspaper except one (The Missoulian endorsement is expected today.) has endorsed Tester.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle OP-ED is behind a firewall that's slammed and now down. Here's an excerpt.
...Burns has given Democrats ample ammunition to use against him in this race. In recent years he has opted to do the White House bidding in the Senate, including unflinching support for the Iraq war and the Patriot act. He is accused of taking $150,000 in political donations from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates. And his vocal outbursts against wild land firefighters, flight attendants, Arabs, African-Americans and even cab drivers-never seems to embaress him as much as it does the rest of us.
Conversly, Tester,50, is one of a breed of commonsense populist politicans making gains on the Western political landscape. He is a Montana native who looks and acts like one. He is pro-gun rights, familiar with agricultural issues and approaches conservation issues with the state's hunting and fishing traditions in mind. ...
Jon Tester deserves your vote.
Posted by admin at 08:37 AM | Comments (1)
IR // News // Jon Tester for U.S. Senate
Now it's four of the six major Newspapers
that have endorsed Tester.
Posted by admin at 06:34 AM | Comments (0)
MT-SEN: New Ad By Swift-Boat Funder Slams Tester And "Brokebank Democrats" | TPMCafe
You gotta see this video. It's obviously not made here the Montana, the accents are
terrible. They clearly have contempt for the Montana voter.
Vote. Get you Friends to Vote. These guys need a beating.
Posted by admin at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)
In Montana, visit by Bush has lost its magic - Americas - International Herald Tribune
his visit showed the new political reality that confronts him wherever he goes this election season, even in usually solid patches of Bush Country like this one: With those low poll ratings and bad news out of Iraq inescapable, his visits are as likely to galvanize the other side as they are to buck up local Republicans.
Posted by admin at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)
The Montana Standard - Butte, Montana USA
So the Billings Gazette, The Great Falls Tribune, and now the Montana Standard have endorsed Jon Tester.
Posted by admin at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
Left in the West � Blog Archive � Rasmussen Continues to Say 4 Point Race
Posted by admin at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
Daily Kos: MT-Sen: Tester leading big in early voting (according to his campaign)
Early voting results and exit polling both conspired to give us big hope in 2004. We'd be well advised to take everything with a grain of salt and realize that nothing is over until it's over.
Posted by admin at 01:44 PM
Poll shows Burns trailing badly among early voters
(BIG SANDY, Mont.) -- As President Bush lands in Montana to plead for support for Sen. Conrad Burns, a new poll released Thursday shows challenger Jon Tester with a commanding 21% lead among early voters.
The poll, conducted by Lake Snell Perry Mermin this week, shows Tester leading Burns 58% to 37% among Montanans who have already voted. According to the Montana Secretary of State's office, 56,453 Montanans have cast early ballots as of this morning.
Sen. Burns has trailed in every poll so far in his re-election campaign. In the past Sen. Burns has never trailed in the polls with only five days left until Election Day.
"Montanans are so eager for change that they are early-voting in unprecedented numbers. And we are seeing a stunning number of them preferring Jon Tester," said Tester spokesman Matt McKenna. "We are a long way from the finish line, and nobody on our side is popping the corks, but we are happy with our Montana-fueled field effort so far."
Posted by admin at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
BillingsGazette.com ::
Poll is on the right. It's a vote for choice of Senator
Posted by admin at 02:50 PM
BillingsGazette.com :: Gazette Opinion: Tester would bring welcome change in U.S. Senate
For those Montanans who are appalled at the burgeoning national debt, concerned about U.S. foreign policy, alarmed that today's spending will be paid for by our children and grandchildren and fed up with business as usual in Washington, D.C., Tester is a fresh alternative.
Posted by admin at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
Watch Out, Conrad ... It's Blue Guy! - Wonkette
The coveted Wonkette endorsement for Montana's senate race goes to...the guy who drank "a silver solution to boost his immune system in the late 1990s after he became concerned about a possible shortage of antibiotics after the year 2000."
Posted by admin at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)
It's the biggest political rally of the season. Senator Jon Tester, Representative Monica Lindeen and Senator Max Baucus, and all our Gallatin Valley Candidates. It's this Saturday, November 4th 6pm-7:30pm Wilson School Gym. Music, food, Multimedia and best of all our future Senator and Representative: Monica Lindeeen and Jon Tester. You may consider alternate transportation to the event: There's a high school play, Jazz Montana at the Emerson, and the rally itself.
We need your help: This link will send you to Jon's site, you can download and print the poster and distribute it around the Valley. There's a map and RSVP on the event page.
Questions? email media@gallatindemocrats.com
Posted by admin at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
Left in the West: Rasmussen: Tester at 51
Posted by admin at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
BillingsGazette.com :: Bush to appear at Metra on Nov. 2
Posted by admin at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
Justice Delayed: John Doolittle and Conrad Burns | TPMCafe
Posted by admin at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
Montana's Tester on Track to Pick Up Another Senate Seat for Dems - New York Times
These would be top assignments for any senator and exceedingly rare for a first-year freshman. The tack is aimed at offsetting what is perhaps Burns' biggest political asset: his current Appropriations seat and Interior Subcommittee chairmanship, which have enabled him to send money back to the state.
Posted by admin at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
Rising Radical Center - washingtonpost.com
But Democratic moderation this year carries a sharp edge of economic populism, and a consensus is already developing around health care, energy and corporate accountability. In one his advertisements, Montana's Tester marries fiscal conservatism with an anti-corporate appeal by promising to "stand up to oil company giveaways, no-bid contracts to Halliburton and billions in pork, including bridges to nowhere, all saddling our kids with more and more debt."
Posted by admin at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
Know Your Democratic Candidates: Jon Tester Running for US Senate from Montana
We cannot verify these internal polls, so treat this with a grain of salt.
Posted by admin at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)
Posted by admin at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
Missoulian: Commentary: National GOP denies abandoning Burns re-election bid
Posted by admin at 10:44 AM
TPMmuckraker October 23, 2006 10:57 AM
Posted by admin at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
Wow, a fluff piece on Jon Testor from the
Weekly Standard?
Posted by admin at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
Burns Gains on Tester as Both Prepare for Final Debate | Missoula | New West Network
Posted by admin at 01:25 PM | Comments (0)
Guts and guns: how the Democrats are planning to win back the West - World - Times Online
Mr Tester, like the other Democrat candidates, is also being helped by the Republicans’ myriad political problems, including Iraq, corruption and scandal — and nowhere has this been more colourfully on display than in Montana
Posted by admin at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)
The Billings Outpost
Quote of the week
"It's like when I walk in my barn. It's like no other place. Every time I walk through those doors, there's a feeling that comes across that's like nowhere in the world."
-State Sen. Jon Tester in the Oct. 15 Great Falls Tribune on walking into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., as a U.S. senator.
Thursday George
The hour of decision
Which brings us back to the second of these seemingly unrelated reasons to consider your vote carefully. The latest polls show Bush and his Republicans tumbling in a tidal wave of unpopularity that may finally end the Republican domination in Washington. Scandal and corruption, endless and pointless wars, and now eating salad greens just might kill you. Simply put, just as one-party Republican rule failed in Montana, it has now failed on the national level for the same reasons-they blew it because their plans just don't work.
Posted by admin at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
MT-SEN: Burns Says GOP Has Iraq Plan But "We're Not Going To Tell You" What It Is | TPMCafe
Posted by admin at 04:23 PM
Great Falls Tribune - www.greatfallstribune.com - Great Falls, MT
Posted by admin at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
DebateScoop.org: Too Many Debates?: Montana's Never Ending Senate Campaign
Posted by admin at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
Posted by admin at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
SHOWDOWN 06: The Washington Monthly
"It [the Patriot Act] lets federal government agents search our bank accounts, medical records, even our gun sales - for whatever reason."
Posted by admin at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)
SHOWDOWN 06: The Washington Monthly
Good Story on Stan Jones
Posted by admin at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)
The National Republican party is pulling money from the Tester/Burns race: Helena IR: Republicans target three Senate races to limit Democratic gains
The move also raises questions about the priority assigned by the RNC to races in other states where Republicans are in jeopardy -Pennsylvania, Montana and Rhode Island among them.
The polls are in his favor: New West:Tester's lead may be unsurmountable
Although the Primary Election showed that polling techniques were highly flawed, the same methods have been used after the primary election to predict the Senatorial Election. Thus, not only does Burns trail Tester by 7 points in a poll of "likely voters", but likely trails by even more among those who will vote in November.
Posted by admin at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)
CITY:
Bozeman, MT
WHEN:
Monday, October 9th
doors open at 6 PM MST
WHERE:
SUB Ballroom A-D
MSU Campus
7:00 PM: Senate debate begins.
8:00 PM: Congressional debate begins.
Format: Panelists will include one representative state media, local media and a student.
Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to each question. The order of responses will rotate with each question.
Each candidate will have two minutes for an opening statement. Order will be decided by drawing names out of a hat. Prepared notes will be allowed.
Pannelists will ask questions for 30 minutes. No prepared notes will be allowed for this portion. A sheet of paper and pen will be allowed for candidates to take notes at this event. Rebuttals will be allowed only if the moderator determines that, if one candidate references another candidate, directly or indirectly. Rebuttal comments will only be allowed by the referenced candidate and may not exceed 90 seconds. The decision whether or not to allow a rebuttal is final. Following panelist questions, the moderator will ask questions that will be submitted by the audience and screened by personell by the wheeler center. Questions selected will be strictly policy centered and and not include topics covered previously. No prepared notes will be allowed and no rebuttal will be allowed during this portion of the debate.
Posted by admin at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)
We recieved this from the Tester Campaign
1. Volunteer for Jon Tester at your local Coordinated Campaign field office. Bozeman number:587-0411
* Voter phone calls and door to door canvasses occur every day.
* Become a precinct captain for your neighborhood.
* Carry Tester literature with you when you go door to door.
2. Represent Jon Tester at local events.
* When you are at a meeting ask if you can say a few words about the Senate race.
* Search for local meetings of sportsmen organizations, Rotary clubs, the VFW, etc., and share your support of Jon and remind folks to vote.
3. Write letters to the editor.
* Write some yourself and find new people like veterans or gun owners to get letters published.
* Ask a Republican friend supporting Tester to write a letter.
4. Help Jon Tester raise money.
* Call your family and friends and ask them to donate to the campaign.
* Send out an email to everyone you know asking them to join the online team.
* Attend or co-host a local fundraiser.
5. Start postcard campaigns and phone trees.
* Write and call your friends and neighbors. Explain why you are supporting Jon Tester. This is also an opportunity to make sure that your friends and family members are registered to vote and get out to vote.
6. Fill out an early vote form and encourage your contacts to do the same.
7. Find prominent sign locations and pick up signs from your local Coordinated Campaign field office.
8. Reach out to local talk radio shows.
* Call every day you can.
9. Sign up for our email list and keep up to date on events in your area.
10. Help us find housing for staff and supporters.
* If you have an extra room in your house or know someone who does, let us know. We need housing for people today.
MONTANANS FOR TESTER CONTACT INFORMATION:
Montanans for Tester Phone: (406) 449-0117
48 N Last Chance Gulch Fax: (406) 449-0184
Lower Level
Website: www.testerforsenate.com
PO Box 1135
Helena, MT 59624
Posted by admin at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
Queen City News - Helena Handbag
Ethics was first out of the chute when Burns was asked whether his connections with indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff influenced his actions. Adroitly avoiding directly answering the question, the junior senator called any charges of improper behavior on his part "baseless allegations" and "negative campaigning."
Billings Outpost
Can A nice guy finish First?
Sen. Elliott says that at the beginning of the last regular session, he thought Tester should take a stronger stand on procedural matters.
"I would keep saying to him, 'Jon, You've got to put your foot down; you"ve got to put your foot down.’ And he never did."
By the end of the session, Elliott says, he realized that Tester had been right. The session was the most amicable he had ever experienced, he says.
"Jon is not a wheeler dealer," he says. "He does not connive. If you ask Jon a question you'll get an answer."
There's a poll on the race. Tester is winning that one also.
Posted by admin at 02:10 PM
Great Falls Tribune
"With things like the Patriot Act," Tester said, "We'd damn well better keep our guns."
Left in the West: That may be the most quintessentially Western Democratic expression I’ve ever heard.
Daily KOS: This is how a patriot acts
Posted by admin at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)
Here's a list of stories on the debate:
Intelligent Discontent: Burns-Tester Coverage: Why Won't the Media "Say Anything"?
There's a great story to be written about this race-and I think it's going to come.
Washington Post: Sen. Burns, Tester Debate in Montana
"Let me be clear. I don't want to weaken the Patriot Act. I want to get rid of it," Tester said.
Another Washington Post Story:An Investigative Target? A Subject? A Fine Line.
"To me, it is academic. Burns is under investigation."
4&20 blackbirds: Butte Senate debate: live blogging
Missoula dot NET: Butte debate between Jon Tester and Conrad Burns Good rundown of when to see or hear the debate.
Posted by admin at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)