U.S. Senator Jon Tester

Big Sandy, Montana

A champion for rural veterans. A pioneer in transparency and cleaning up Washington. A third-generation family farmer fighting to create jobs and new opportunities in Montana. A powerful voice for rural America.

During his first term in the Senate, Jon Tester has earned a reputation as a straight-talking, hardworking, common sense United States Senator who gets things done.

Jon still farms the same land outside Big Sandy, Montana, where he grew up and where his grandfather homesteaded nearly 100 years ago. Born in 1956, Jon attended the University of Great Falls and studied music (you can still spot him playing Taps on his trumpet at memorial events around Montana). He also taught public school.

Jon first saw his high school sweetheart Sharla sitting in a church pew, and they took over the Tester farm after they were married in 1977. Jon and Sharla are proud and active parents and grandparents.

Jon launched his political career in response to huge rate hikes following the deregulation of Montana’s energy industry in the 1990s. He was elected to the Montana Senate in 1997 and became Senate President in 2005. His 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate ousted a three-term incumbent, putting Jon in the same Senate seat once held by former Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield.

Jon immediately made history as the first member of Congress to post his daily public schedule on his website. He helped pass sweeping ethics reform, and then went beyond those rules and banned all gifts, meals, and travel from lobbyists for himself and for his staff. He barred any staffers who become lobbyists from ever lobbying him or being rehired. And he began posting all of his requests for funding for Montana projects on his website for Montanans to see.

Jon’s record on transparency has earned him the title, “Montana’s advocate for accountability.”

Jon’s first order of business after taking office was a listening tour with Montana’s veterans. From his seat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he took what he heard and turned it into action. His landmark Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act became law and strengthened health care for all of Montana’s veterans, and veterans across rural America.

Jon put his common sense on display in 2008 when he bucked his party and became the only Senate Democrat to vote against both taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street and the U.S. auto industry. He pointed to a lack of oversight and accountability, saying simply, “I’m against bailouts.”

Jon instead fought for jobs and opportunities in Montana. He toured the state hosting small business workshops, bringing Montanans together with industry leaders to boost jobs through innovation, marketing, and increased export opportunities. And as a member of the influential Appropriations Committee, he has delivered needed investments in jobs and physical infrastructure in Montana.

This pro-gun man of the dirt returns to Montana nearly every weekend to work the farm, listen to Montanans, and take their input back to the Senate.

Sporting his trademark flattop haircut ($10, including tip), Jon Tester needs no introduction to the Montanans he meets. After all, he’s one of them.