A senator essential to the Democratic majority will not commit to seek for re-election in 2024.
In a Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press,” Montana Senator Jon Tester did not declare his candidacy.
Tester made it plain he had not decided whether to seek for a fourth term.
EXCLUSIVE: @SenatorTester (D-Mont.) hasn't made a decision about running for re-election in 2024.
"It'll be a discussion that I'll have with my family over the holidays," he tells @chucktodd. pic.twitter.com/6nMslV71FF
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 11, 2022
Tester stated that he will discuss his future options with his family over the holidays, while forecasting his electoral prospects should he decide to run.
Tester said he would win a 2024 election if he highlighted what he considers to be a track record of bipartisan achievements.
In the event that Tester does not seek re-election, Republicans would be in a solid position to capture his seat.
Montana is one of the reddest states in the nation, as former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020 by a margin of more than 16 percent.
Tester was re-elected as a two-term incumbent in 2018 by a margin of less than 4 percent, in an election when Democrats won overwhelmingly.
In an effort to retain a Senate seat in the staunchly conservative state of Montana, it is feasible that Democrats would appeal to former governor Steve Bullock, himself a Democrat elected to statewide office.
Tester’s impending retirement would make the 2024 race more difficult for Democrats, who already face a tough Senate map on the national level.
The upcoming election will see Democrats defend 23 Senate seats, according to The Washington Post.
The Republicans will defend 11 seats, less than half of what the Democrats must do.
Several of the Democratic seats to be defended are in Republican states, including West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio.
In swing states such as Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, other vulnerable Democratic senators are up for re-election.
In the Senate, the Democrats hold a razor-thin majority of 50 senators, including three independents who caucus with the Democratic Party.
Last Monday, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced her resignation from the Democratic Party, but she will continue to caucus with Democrats.