Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called on President Biden to exit the presidential race on Thursday night, becoming the second Senate Democrat to do so.
“Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”
Tester is in one of the most competitive races in 2024 as he attempts to keep his seat in a state that has voted twice in favor of former President Trump.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has called on President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race. (Getty Images)
The Montana Democrat’s race is rated a “Toss Up” by non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. It is accompanied in the category by three other competitive races in Ohio, Nevada, and Michigan.
Tester will face off against the Republican Senate candidate in Montana, former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, in November.
The senator recently told Fox News Digital that his internal polling showed him “kicking his a–,” but would not reveal the data.
He also pushed back on the idea that his race was competitive, claiming, “My race isn’t in a precarious place.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks to reporters as he walks through the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker)
Earlier this month, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first Democrat in the upper chamber to call on Biden to drop out. “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race,” he penned in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
Senate Democrats recently held a special meeting with senior Biden campaign advisers at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
Notably, Tester did not attend the meeting. He told Fox News Digital he was meeting with aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman instead to discuss the “Sentinel project,” likely in reference to its work for the U.S. Air Force’s LGM-35A Sentinel weapon system.
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Tester made a statement just over a week after Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump last month, saying, “President Biden has got to prove to the American people – including me – that he’s up to the job for another four years.”