HELENA — As Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester seeks to court ticket-splitting voters, his campaign unveiled a list of “Republicans for Tester” supporting him for reelection.
The group includes 16 named co-chairs – including a number of current and former state, local and tribal officeholders – as well as dozens more listed only by first name, last initial and hometown.
“Montana will always come first for me – and I will take on anyone, from any party, to defend our state,” Tester said in a statement. “I’m honored to have the support of Montana Republicans who have stood with me to fight for our veterans, protect our freedoms, and keep the government out of our personal lives. Montanans didn’t send me to Washington to play politics, they sent me to deliver results – and together we’re going to win this election and keep fighting to keep Montana strong.”
Several of the co-chairs have had strained relationships with the Montana Republican Party in recent years – especially the top name on the list, former Gov. Marc Racicot. While Racicot served two terms as a Republican from 1993 to 2001 and later became chair of the Republican National Committee, the state GOP executive committee rebuked him last year after he supported Democratic-backed candidates in several recent elections.
However, the list also has more recently elected officials, like sitting state Sen. Terry Vermeire of Anaconda and former state Rep. Mallerie Stromswold, who represented Billings in the House before resigning during the 2023 legislative session.
Other co-chairs include former Secretary of State and gubernatorial nominee Bob Brown, former state GOP chair and Lewis and Clark County commissioner Susan Good Geise, former Great Falls mayor Mike Winters, former Gallatin County commissioner Don Seifert and Columbia Falls city councilmember Mike Shepard.
In statements shared by the campaign, the co-chairs said, regardless of party, they trusted Tester to fight for Montana’s interests.
“For going on three decades I’ve known and worked with Jon Tester as he has tirelessly set about to serve all Montanans, Democrats and Republicans alike. Jon has, without exception, executed his duties with an elevated focus upon the public good,” said Racicot. “Not unexpectedly, it has always been people, not parties, who have come first with Jon Tester. I’m proud to support our senior senator because I’m absolutely confident he’ll continue to protect and defend our liberty and our Montana way of life.”
In a state where Republican Donald Trump won by a large margin in 2016 and 2020, Tester is likely to need crossover votes in order to hold off a challenge from GOP candidate Tim Sheehy.
Wade Jones, a Malta farmer and chairman of the Milk River Joint Board of Control, said in a statement that he planned to vote for Trump and for Tester.
“I’ve been working on fixing the St. Mary’s Irrigation System for 21 years, and Jon Tester is the only one to bring actual dollars to modernize this piece of critical infrastructure,” he said. “Jon’s the real deal.”
As Tester’s campaign has worked to highlight his bipartisan credentials, Sheehy and other Republicans have sought to tie him to national Democrats, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s a theme they’ll likely repeat this week as Trump returns to Montana to campaign for Sheehy.
Republicans for Tester Co-Chairs:
- Marc Racicot, Missoula, former governor and RNC chair
- Bob Brown, Whitefish, former secretary of state
- Mallerie Stromswold, Billings, former state representative
- Mike Winters, Great Falls, former mayor, veteran
- Mike Shepard, Columbia Falls, city councilmember, veteran
- Mick Ringsak, Butte, former Small Business Administration regional administrator, veteran
- Terry Baker, Kalispell, veteran
- Terry Vermeire, Anaconda, state senator
- Justin Schaaf, Fort Peck, town councilmember
- Don Seifert, Bozeman, former county commissioner
- Wade Jones, Malta, chairman of Milk River Joint Board of Control
- Dan Hurwitz, Clyde Park, former state representative
- Susan Good Geise, Augusta, former Montana GOP chair and county commissioner
- Patty Quisno, Harlem, Fort Belknap tribal council member
- Warren Morin, Hays, former Fort Belknap Tribal Council member, veteran
- Chuck Butler, Helena, former state Senate Republican chief of staff
