Sen. Jon Tester's campaign has reported a massive $30 million fundraising haul, placing the incumbent third-generation farmer from Big Sandy significantly ahead of his opponent, Tim Sheehy.
At least financially.
On Tuesday, FEC filings for Q3 ending on Sept. 30 showed Tester eclipsing Sheehy multiple times over, bringing his total raised this election cycle to over $70 million as he attempts to once again win over the otherwise increasingly red Big Sky Country.
"Montanans are sending a clear message that they are ready to run through the tape to send Jon Tester back to the U.S. Senate," Shelbi Dantic, the campaign manager of Montanans for Tester, said in a press release.
While Sheehy might be $50 million short, having raised a little over $17 million -- about half in the last filing period -- both candidates have significantly benefited from political action committees (PACs) and a recent poll from the New York Times/Siena College shows the former Navy SEAL and CEO of Bridger Aerospace with a eight-point lead.
At a rally in Bozeman last week, Tester was quick to dismiss the poll and has said he's no stranger to a tough race, having been re-elected in 2018 and 2012 by less than four percentage points.
"I'm going to tell you (polls) haven't exactly been an indicator of what reality is over the last 10 years," Tester said previously. "We got an election coming up and I'm going to tell you, it is an honest-to-God fact that every vote is going to count this time."
The Federal Election Commission filings show Tester has spent the vast majority of contributions, beginning the final stretch toward November's election with $7.4 million in the bank compared to Sheehy with $4 million.
Nationally, per the Hill, Tester ranks among the top fundraisers in the last cycle, along with Democrats Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, who is trying to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz.
The fight between Tester and Sheehy is one of the most closely watched races in the nation as the victor will likely determine which party controls the U.S. Senate come January.
Both candidates have been traversing the state in recent weeks, homing in on split-ticket voters that have successfully helped carry Tester in the past and now put Sheehy in the unique position as a Republican vying for voters that'll place former President Donald Trump into the White House and a Democrat into the Senate.
Clearly, big money is being spent to help determine the winner as PACs for and against both candidates have pushed the race well over $140 million as both campaigns assert themselves as grassroots endeavors.
"We are so grateful that Jon has overwhelming grassroots support from Montanans in every corner of the state, and we will channel this unprecedented momentum through election day to make sure Jon Tester can continue to defend Montana," Dantic said in the press release.
Via email to the Chronicle, a spokesperson for the Sheehy campaign said: "Tim has run a grassroots campaign since day one, going from town to town, looking Montanans in the eye, shaking their hands, and asking for their help to complete our mission: Vote to fire Jon Tester, send President Donald J. Trump back to the White House, and take America back!"
Forbes recently reported both candidates have billionaire backing. While Tester is supported by groups funded by investors George Soros and Stephen and Susan Mandel, Sheehy has benefited from groups funded by Charles Koch, Ken Griffin and the Walton family.
According to a tracker provided by the Montana Free Press, pro-Tester groups have spent $64 million compared to $75 million by pro-Sheehy groups.
Still, and despite the significant influx of donations -- which Tester's campaign said was partly due to contributions from 23,000 Montanans, averaging less than $50 each -- he faces perhaps his toughest race yet.
Portraying his Montana roots as a third-generation dirt farmer at the rally in Bozeman, he made it clear he'll need all the votes he can get, so that come election day, Tester remains the last Democrat standing in Montana's statewide races.
"Montana, we know and love, there's no doubt about it," Tester recently told the Chronicle regarding what he believes is at stake. "This state didn't get to be the greatest state in the greatest country that ever existed without really good leadership in Washington, D.C., and we stand on those guys' shoulders as we move forward. I don't think (Sheehy) stands on anybody's shoulders."
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