By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Three-term U.S. Senator Jon Tester, D-Montana, is in a fight for his political life.
Tester’s Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, has received strong support from GOP leadership and an endorsement from former President Donald J. Trump.
Tester’s seat is considered one of the most vulnerable in the Senate. One reason: Montanans love their guns, and Joe Biden – the titular head of Tester’s party – is the most anti-gun president the country has ever seen.
As a result, Tester has tried to tap dance around guns and Second Amendment issues. His reelection campaign even released a video that shows him traveling the state in an old pickup with a Model 99 Savage in a gunrack, while the narrator talks about Tester’s strong support for “gun safety and hunter education.”
Tester’s 2A tap dancing ended Friday at around 3 p.m., when he sent an email to his supporters announcing that Brady PAC would match campaign donations for 48 hours:
The move was somewhat hush-hush. Brady PAC’s fund-matching agreement was not mentioned anywhere on Tester’s reelection website, and Tester was not included in a list of endorsed candidates on Brady PAC’s website.
Brady PAC, “is dedicated to a singular goal: creating a safer America by supporting and investing in candidates who are committed to enacting, improving, and defending Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) policies across the country,” according to its website.
Kris Brown, president of Brady United Against Gun Violence, chairs Brady PAC’s board of directors.
It’s not too much of a stretch to say most Montanans do not support Brady PAC’s goals, especially “universal background checks and an assault weapon ban.”
Tester’s reelection campaign did not return calls or emails seeking to know why he is now accepting funds from one of the country’s leading anti-gun groups.
Meanwhile, Sheehy has made his support for the Second Amendment clear:
“I will fight back against any attempt by liberal politicians like Joe Biden and Jon Tester from pursuing a radical gun control agenda that threatens our Second Amendment rights. Our right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. As a Navy SEAL who fought for our country and to protect our freedoms, this is a fundamental constitutional right that must and will always be protected under my watch,” Sheehy’s website states.
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