Jon Tester is a third-generation farmer from Chouteau County in north central Montana. He currently represents the state as its senior Senator in the U.S. Congress. Jon and his high school sweetheart Sharla Bitz married while Jon was in college and they now work the same land that his grandparents homesteaded back in 1912.

(image from Politico.com)

Growing up in rural Montana gave Jon a love for all things related to the outdoors. His support for sportsmen and for conservation was recognized in 2011 when he was named "Legislator of the Year" by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. That award reflected the Senator's tireless efforts to increase access to hunting and fishing, his support of land and species conservation, and his strong advocacy to protect gun rights across the country.

As passionate as Senator Tester is about gun rights, he is equally strong in his defense of Social Security and Medicare. He knows that these successful federal programs allow millions of elderly Americans to live in dignity and to have access to affordable, quality health care. Consequently, he opposes any plan to privatize Social Security or to turn Medicare into a voucher program.

Montana has a long tradition of opposing big money in political campaigns and Jon is continuing that tradition in Washington. He has sponsored a Constitutional Amendment that will overturn the recent Supreme Court decisions that abolished limits on campaign contributions and allow the rich and powerful (even if they aren't Americans!) to spend unlimited amounts of money on U.S. elections.

Many of you may not know this but, after graduating from college, Jon was an elementary school music teacher in Big Sandy and became chairman of the local school board. This has given him an insight into education policy and the unique issues that schools in rural communities face; consequently he opposes cookie cutter approaches to education.

Jon believes that post-high school education should be affordable for all Americans, whether these students are taking vocational, technical, or collegiate coursework. He continues to fight the Republicans in Congress in order to lower interest rates on federal student loans.

(image from kxlf.com)

With respect to energy, count the Senator as one who favors "all of the above". He supports a responsibly-built Keystone pipeline and responsible development of the Bakken Formation but when Jon was in the Montana State Senate he also supported tax credits that kick-started Montana's wind energy industry and he backed a Renewable Energy Standard to invest in more renewable energy.

In addition, Jon co-sponsored both the North Fork Watershed Protection Act which permanently protects the American side of the North Fork (Montana) Watershed from new oil, gas, and mining leases and the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act which would preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands along the Rocky Mountain Front.

We hope this article has given you a feel for what kind of man Jon Tester is and why we need more men and women like him in the U.S. Senate. For those of you who live in Big Sky country, please encourage Jon to seek re-election in 2018 and we hope you will give him your continued support.

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