Sen. Jon Tester has done something very difficult. He’s had a pretty long career as a Democratic senator representing a very Republican state. He’s mostly done that by appearing to be a fairly conservative Democrat. However, he’s perpetually vulnerable to being ousted because of it, and this year it’s worse. His own actions haven’t really helped with that, either.
Folks in Montana love their guns and Tester, while not being vocal about it, doesn’t appreciate the right to keep and bear arms nearly as much as they do. In fact, I don’t think he cares for those rights one bit.
And the NRA is apparently betting pretty big on Montana.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is going live on Montana’s airwaves with a massive push against vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., on Tuesday, specifically attacking his record on gun rights.
“Where I live, you can’t wait for 911. My family’s safety is in my hands alone,” a female narrator says in a new ad from the NRA’s political action committee, the NRA Political Victory Fund.
The video depicts a would-be intruder approaching a home with a woman alone inside who grabs her firearm when she realizes someone is outside. The narrator says Tester “failed to protect my right to self-defense.”
“And that’s why moms like me can’t wait to fire him in November,” she continued.
The more than $2 million reservation will be seen across the Big Sky State and will also reach Montana voters on digital platforms, through text and direct mail components.
The expenditure is the NRA Political Victory Fund’s first television ad of the cycle.
Let’s be real here, Montana is one of those states where a lot of folks can’t wait for police to respond to a 911 call. That inability to wait is actually part of the urban-rural disconnect on issues like guns. When your police department has a cop on every street corner, then you can probably be fine calling for help and waiting for it to arrive.
When the one deputy in your massive county is clear on the other side of it, you can’t.
So this is probably a smart line of attack. Especially considering how Brady is backing Tester. That’s usually not the sign of a Second Amendment ally.
Tester has downplayed his anti-gun tendencies over and over again through the years, but the truth is that he’s no friend to the Second Amendment or anyone who values it. As a result, he needs to go and be replaced with someone who will protect the interests of folks in the Big Sky State.
I don’t know that his opponent will be that guy, but it’s unlikely he’ll be worse considering what he’s replacing.
As I said, Tester has a certain degree of perpetual vulnerability because of being a Democrat holding office representing a very red state, but all things must end. If the NRA can tip this election, it may well do wonders for the balance of power in the Senate, which will be vital regardless of what happens in the presidential race. We saw the Republican-controlled Senate largely fend off numerous anti-gun attacks. We need that again, especially coupled with a pro-gun House and, ideally, a Second Amendment ally in the White House.
Taking Tester down is a fair place to start.
