Former U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) attributed his 2024 Senate loss to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ weak performance in Montana during a Friday interview.
Tester, who was defeated by GOP challenger and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, told “HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher” that the “woke politics” embraced by the top of the Democratic ticket played a significant role in his defeat.
“And the top of the ticket did not perform because I don’t think the top of the ticket embraced the issues that Americans were talking about,” he said. “We got wrapped up in all the cancel culture crap.”
Tester served three terms as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana, a state that has consistently backed Republican presidential candidates for decades.
Throughout his tenure, he positioned himself as a moderate, frequently breaking with the Biden-Harris administration on key issues. Notably, he withheld his endorsement of Kamala Harris after she became the Democratic nominee.
During his conversation with Maher, both he and the host agreed that the Democratic Party must move away from its far-left policies and “court the center” as the best strategy to rebuild and present a viable alternative to the GOP under Trump.
“Yeah, you go to the place where the people are, and that way those disenfranchised Republicans have a place to land because they don’t think the other party’s crazy,” Tester said. “And if they’re able to do that, and you do that by talking about common sense stuff that people deal with every day.”
Maher then pressed Tester on why a moderate Democrat like himself couldn’t secure a victory in his election.
Without naming her directly, Tester suggested to Maher that Kamala Harris’ progressive policies and her own poor performance in Montana weighed down his chances in the state, Fox News noted.
“If you want to know the truth, the top of the ticket lost by what? 30-some points? And the truth is the top of the ticket has to at least be competitive if you’re gonna win in a red state or even a purple state,” the former senator responded.
In 2024, Donald Trump carried Montana by a decisive 20-point margin, winning 58% to 38%. In the state’s Senate race, Tim Sheehy defeated Jon Tester by seven points, 52% to 45%.
Fellow panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin echoed Tester’s sentiment that cancel culture hurt Democrats in Montana, adding that “identity politics” also played a role in their downfall.
Maher is liberal but he’s frequently attacked Democrats who align with the far-left on social, cultural, and political issues.
In September, for instance, Maher shredded Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for remarks they made during their lone interview with CNN the previous month. In particular, he said they were evasive on certain issues, accusing them of “insulting [his] intelligence.”
He specifically called out Walz for his comments, which implied that he talks in a manner that is more relatable to ordinary people.
“No, you don’t. You’re a huge liar, like all politicians are,” Maher reacted. “I don’t give a s— what you did during the Iraq War. You were in the Guard– I don’t understand why they just can’t–” he continued, breaking off his remarks and adding: “They’re just insulting my intelligence.”
“When [CNN anchor Dana Bash] said, ‘What did you say when Biden called you and said he wasn’t running?’ ‘Well, I immediately thought of him first,’” Maher said while rolling his eyes. “I mean fracking . . . Dana Bash had her dead to rights. It was like ‘You said this, I have the quote. I’m reading it to you. You said there should be a ban on fracking.’ Why can’t they just go, ‘Yeah, you know what? I got it wrong.’”