Jon Tester

Jon Tester has served as the senior United States Senator from Montana since 2007. A third-generation Montana farmer, Tester grew up on his family's wheat and barley farm near the town of Big Sandy. He attended the University of Great Falls, earning a B.A. in music before returning home to work alongside his family on the farm.

Prior to entering politics, Tester taught music in elementary school in Big Sandy public schools and remained active in the family farming business. He first ran for the Montana State Senate in 1998, serving two terms before mounting a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2006, winning with a margin of victory of less than 1 percent over a Republican incumbent. In 2018 he won in a state that voted for Trump by more than 20 points. Since arriving in Washington, Tester has built a reputation as a pragmatic, independent-minded Senator who focuses on issues important to rural Montanans.

In the Senate, Tester has been a leading voice on agriculture, natural resources, and small business issues. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, where he has co-authored legislation to improve healthcare and other services for former military members. Tester has also played a key role in bipartisan infrastructure negotiations, helping to secure significant funding for roads, bridges, and broadband expansion in his home state. Though he caucuses with Democrats, Tester has shown a willingness to work across the aisle, building relationships with Republican colleagues on shared priorities.