Embattled Democratic senators steer clear of Kamala Harris buzz but hope it helps
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana USA Senator Jon Tester has made protecting women’s reproductive freedom a central plank of his campaign to remain the sole remaining Democrat holding statewide elective office in Big Sky Country. He has campaigned with Planned Parenthood officials, run heavy ads in support of abortion rights, and embraced a ballot measure to make abortion a state constitutional right.
Yet there is one woman that Tester surprisingly doesn’t talk much about during the campaign: Vice President Kamala Harris.
With control of the Senate at stake, the seats Tester and the Democratic Party hold in the US, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio at the top of the list of possible Republican candidates this fall. Former President Donald Trump is expected to win the two states where Republicans are mostly Republican by wide margins, so Democratic lawmakers must walk a political tightrope to avoid alienating too many of his supporters.
There is scant mention of Harris, who has ties to an administration that is unpopular in their states. Yet her groundbreaking bid to become the nation’s first female president is sparking enthusiasm among abortion rights advocates.
Tester said in an interview that the desire to protect access to abortion will appeal to voters “regardless of their political leanings.”
“I think it resonates with people across the board because it’s about freedom, and Montana is a freedom-loving state,” he said. “This issue is more prevalent than any other issue.”
Both Tester and Brown could benefit from any momentum Harris’ presidential bid injects into key Democratic voting blocs, but if they do, it will almost certainly be quietly. Neither attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month.
At least one observer thinks they are being too cautious.
“Democrats aren’t taking advantage of this very well, not just in Montana but in general,” said Paul Pope, a political analyst at Montana State University Billings.
Tester, Pope said, “hasn’t moved the needle much. If he supports Harris, he has a chance to capitalize on the broad support that she has, and the excitement.”
Meanwhile, Republicans in both states are doing everything they can to throw the sitting senators off their political rope. Staggering amounts of money have been spent by both parties in the two states.
Democrats have outspent Republicans in Montana so far, and Republicans have focused more heavily on Ohio, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign advertising across the country. Spending by candidates and outside groups on television, radio and digital ads is on track to reach $636 million, the data shows, including nearly $400 million in Ohio and $240 million in Montana.
That amounts to nearly $50 for every registered voter in Ohio and more than $300 for every registered voter in Montana.
Tester refused to endorse Harris, arguing that the Senate race should not be about national politics, and used the convention week to work on his farm and organize a rally in Missoula headlined by the bassist of the rock band Pearl Jam. In contrast, his opponent, former US Navy SEAL Tim Sheehywon the GOP nomination after an early show of support from Trump and hosted the former Republican president at a rally in Bozeman last month.
In his speeches and on the radio, Sheehy continually tries to connect Tester with Harris and other Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The Republican — who has faced backlash in recent days after refusing to apologize for disparaging comments he made to his supporters about Native Americans — describes Tester as the “decisive vote” on major Democratic legislation in recent years, including the Biden administration’s climate bill and several failed GOP measures to further restrict immigration.
“Tester’s vote is his endorsement of the failed Harris agenda,” said Sheehy spokeswoman Katie Martin. “Every time Montanans needed him to stop the madness in Washington, he was the decisive vote to advance her progressive liberal agenda.”
Brown also used convention week to campaign domestically, crisscrossing rural and urban counties to shake hands with veterans and campaign volunteers. He has said he supports Harris and would campaign with her, knowing her abbreviated campaign is unlikely to gain traction in a state that Trump has so strongly supported.
Brown has used campaign events to remind women and young voters of his support for abortion rights, and has run ads highlighting union members, police and Trump’s signature on a senator-sponsored border bill.
Brown’s Republican rival, Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, sees illegal immigration and inflation as bigger concerns for voters. Moreno accused Democrats of misrepresenting his position on abortion — he says he supports reasonable restrictions after 15 weeks, not a “national abortion ban” — and predicted the issue would not drive turnout as much as Democrats predict.
Michael Gonidakias, president of Ohio Right to Life, said financial issues are motivating many voters this year, especially ahead of the passage of a 2023 constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights.
“No matter how hard you try to influence someone who cares about the abortion issue one way or another, economic issues are still going to dominate — in my opinion — how they vote,” he said. “Because things are not in good shape right now.”
Katie Paris, Founder of Red Wine & Blue, a political group that focuses on suburban women, said protecting abortion rights is an economic issue and remains a huge motivator for the people she represents. Ohio’s abortion amendment last year guaranteed an individual’s right to make their own reproductive decisions. It won nearly 57% of the vote.
“Issue 1 last year united Ohio, and Kamala is a candidate who has put freedom and reproductive freedom at the center of her campaign. She has given (other campaigns) wind in the sails with a message that is bipartisan,” Paris said.
Both Sheehy and Moreno were endorsed by the leading anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America. Sheehy said in a June debate that he supports restrictions on abortions, with exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.
“That baby has rights too,” Sheehy said.
Tester’s campaign brought in a Planned Parenthood executive to a recent rally in downtown Bozeman, where more than 100 people packed a small event space with “Freedom” and “Tester” signs plastered on the walls. The rally coincided with a flurry of “Republicans for Tester” ads on TV across the state.
Jessi Bennion, a political scientist at Montana State University, says the dual strategy makes sense.
“There are a lot of Republicans who have nuanced views on abortion. Tester is trying to find all those voters and it’s a small group, but they’re swing voters, they’re splitting their ticket,” she said.
Some people at the rally openly worried about Tester’s prospects, saying that if he loses, it could undermine the state’s constitutional initiative on abortion.
“I’m nervous. I’m nervous about everything,” said Leslie Peterson, 61, a retired teacher who said women should be able to decide for themselves whether to have an abortion. “The state has gone so red in the last couple of years. … It’s just gone completely Republican.”
Tester took the stage and described how his mother, a daughter of Montana homesteaders, fought for access to abortion. The lawmaker called the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “the greatest restriction on freedom in my lifetime.”
“We have a number of things we can do about it,” he said as the crowd cheered. “We’re going to vote, we’re going to make sure the initiative passes, right?”
He didn’t mention Harris.
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Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.