Sohl acknowledged that could benefit Republicans. Sohl pledged not to help Tester this election if he won’t change his stance on a cease-fire. The donations came at a crucial juncture for both the defense budget and Lockheed Martin, which benefited from $1.8 billion for the F-35 fighter jet that Tester’s subcommittee pushed as part of a military spending package. The nursing student drew a straight line between donations to Tester’s campaign by defense industry lobbyists and Tester’s opposition to a cease-fire.Īfter becoming the panel’s chairman in 2021, Tester received more than $160,000 in contributions from employees and committees representing the defense industry. That rankled Noah Sohl of Missoula, who said he twice voted for Tester and supported the Democrat’s last reelection by making phone calls and registering voters. The lawmaker, who heads the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, rebuffed their pleas, saying Israel had a right to defend itself against the Oct. The potency of the authenticity issue even within his own party was on display during a recent town hall hosted by Tester in the Democratic stronghold of Butte, where a group of activists pressed him repeatedly to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. As he’s gained seniority and influence - and as election spending nationwide has exploded - the flood of campaign cash that’s flowed toward Tester has left him vulnerable to attack. Republican unity next November would narrow Tester’s path to victory, especially if he’s branded as a Washington insider. He ran against Tester in 2018 and lost despite a huge push from then-President Trump. Dozens of state lawmakers have encouraged Rosendale to enter. Matt Rosendale, one of the far-right House members who ousted fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy of California as House speaker. McConnell’s aspirations to again be majority leader could get bogged down if a primary fight develops between his anointed candidate in Montana, U.S. Joe Manchin’s decision against seeking another term, Tester has become a top target for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his massive fundraising operation. His campaign reports reveal abundant lobbyist cash, the kind that rarely comes from people who don’t want something, and yet the lawmaker’s journey from outsider to fundraising behemoth has largely been one of necessity. I trust that those people believe in me and I’m going to continue to do the same job.” Even from within the state of Montana, I can’t tell you who donates to me because I don’t look at that list,” he said in an interview. Tester insisted that the money hasn’t changed him, that he doesn’t even know where it all comes from. He’s taken in almost $20 million for next year’s election, ranking Tester sixth among Senate candidates nationwide, according to Federal Election Commission data through September. Still, authenticity is harder to sell when you’ve become a top Washington fundraiser. He still mingles comfortably with union members, ranchers and veterans, has a record of working on their behalf, and says his heart remains firmly in his sparsely populated state, a vast expanse that spans from the arid Great Plains to the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest. Tester entered the Senate after selling Montana voters on his authenticity, and the former high school band teacher’s message hasn’t changed much.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |