It was November 2006 and the results were in for the Montana U.S. Senate race. Democrat Jon Tester had beaten my boss of almost 12 years, Republican U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, by 3,562 votes. Burns had been in office for 18 years.
Although I was ticked off about losing a close race, I did not have much time to mourn the loss. There were state offices to close and job hunting to do. Plus, in January my mother was placed in hospice, so that took me to Missouri to be with her. She died a couple of weeks after I arrived.
I never thought I would be an independent voter, but when Donald Trump came on the scene in 2015, I knew I could not support him. I noticed a change in the politics in Montana and many Republicans drank the Trump Kool-Aid. They still are even after all the terrible things Trump has done. Those of us who did not support him or his ideas were called Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) and cast aside like a piece of trash.
I decided to be an independent. It has been fun, although I have lost some friends. The name-calling is all over the map from liberal to RINO to MAGA. It mostly depends on what I write about.
In 2023 Tim Sheehy came on the scene and I thought I would like him. I usually support fellow veterans, but when the different stories about a gunshot wound came out and Sheehy said he had lied, I started losing confidence in him. The lies and scandals keep piling up every week with Sheehy. I can’t believe he wants to put his family through this. It went from the gunshot to parachuting into Glacier National Park, to where he grew up in Minnesota, to his view about poverty, to plagiarism, to his company’s issues, to his plane crash, to his disparaging remarks about Native Americans, and on and on. He hides from the press, which should worry us all. Sheehy has also endorsed Trump, and that is something I can’t stomach. Any candidate who endorses Trump does not get my vote.
I can’t trust Sheehy to be a U.S. Senator. That office is too important.
That is why I am endorsing Jon Tester.
Tester has gained some serious seniority in these 18 years. He is chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. This position is important to me and my fellow veterans. When Tester or his staff calls the VA to get assistance for a veteran, their call gets answered quickly. He also has a seat on the Appropriations Committee and chairs the Defense Appropriations subcommittee. That means he has some clout when it comes to Malmstrom AFB and the National Guard in Montana. He also has a seat on the Indian Affairs Committee which is wonderful for Montana tribes.
When Trump was President, Tester was able to get 20 bills passed and signed into law by Trump. This was remarkable. The Trump family camped out in Montana to try and beat Tester back in 2018. They failed. They are after him again. Please fellow Montanans, don’t let Trump and the MAGAs lie to you about Tester. We need him in the U.S. Senate.
Please join me in voting to reelect U.S. Senator Jon Tester.
Visit JonTester.com.
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The Western Word 
Hello Jackie,
Thank you for the comprehensive discussion of why you will vote for Jon Tester. As you know, you echo some of the sentimennts I have previously stated here in your comments section. I am pleased that you agree with me on those points.
I find your experience with the current crop of MAGA types in Montana to be both interesting and demoralizing. Having grown up and lived my entire life in Montana and being involved with folks all across Montana related to my work, I like you, have known many of what were referred to in my day as “rock ribbed Republicans.” I also had a good, though brief, interaction with Senator Burns and although we were poles apart, he listened to my and my neighbors concerns and gave us some much needed help. He also told a great joke (which can’t be repeated here) that I have used on many occasions and it gives me a good memory of that encounter .
What disturbs me most is that the apparant heirarchy of the MAGA Republicans think so little of those living here and particularly those of us who were lucky enough to be born, raised and continue to live here, have such disdain for our character and judgment. They bring forth candidates with their only qualification being vast wealth and the desire to control our state. They see the locals as vassals and rubes to be taken advantage of.
Of the most recent bunch, Tim Sheehy is by far the worst of the lot. He exudes disdain for the average Montanan and their values in search of acclaim and more cash from the wealthy elite who he can con into thinking he is a real cowboy and a Montana man of the land.
You clealry set out his many problems as a candidate and the common thread to them is his basic dishonesty in how he tries tp portray himself to his desired constituency. I have wondered before in these comments how a man of such poor character could rise through the ranks of the U.S. Navy.
All in all, I agree with your comments on the value of Jon Tester to all Montanans but in particular those in agriculture, those who are veterans and our elders who need help with drugs and medical care in their final years.
We simply cannot throw away the influence brought by Tester’s seniority and willingness to work with all to get the best for Montanans first and everyone else as an added benefit.
We need more people with your courage to see through the Sheehy charade and vote for the best intersts of Montana.
Finally, my sympathies on the death of your mother, just as when mine passed at the age of 94, I remember those eevents a clearly as if they occured yesterday.
Thank you for your kind comments. -JmB