Thin-skinned Dem senator retaliates at GOP mocking him driving a Prius

Endangered Montana Senator Jon Tester raged at the 'bunch of jack[expletive]' at the National Republican Senate Committee after they mocked him for driving a Prius. Tester, a Democrat in deep red Montana facing re-election in November, often pitches himself as a humble dirt farmer.

However, the NRSC picked up on footage of Tester, 67, driving the red Toyota hybrid vehicle, which he's said he bought in 2020 to drive around Washington. 'There aren't a lot of dirt farmers in Montana who drive a Prius. Jon Tester has gone Washington,' said NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud in a statement.

Tester - who will face Republican Tim Sheehy (pictured) in his quest for a fourth term this November - went into a rage over the accusation that he's sold out. 'What a bunch of jack[expletive],' he said when asked about the Republicans' painting of him as a Washington elite.

Tester, a multi-millionaire, then bizarrely went on to list the several non-hybrid cars that the Senator also owns to HuffPo . 'I've got an '86 Chevy. I got a 2018 GMC. I got a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. I've got a Celica. I've got a Peterbilt. I've got a '67 International truck. I've got a '96 International truck. I've got a '78 GMC. Want me to keep going?' Tester also bragged about how much he was spending in fuel to power the vehicles that help him on the farm. He sarcastically asked: 'I'm gonna spend $10,000 this week on diesel filling my bulk tanks that I use for planting my crop in the ground. Does that make it OK now?'

The Senator is up for reelection in one of the reddest states and Republicans believe it is among their best chances of flipping a seat as they look to retake the Senate majority this fall. Tester has served in the Senate since 2007 and won his most recent reelection in 2018 with more than 50 percent of the vote. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and is the only remaining Democrat to hold a statewide office in Montana. The third-generation farmer, who previously served as the state's Senate President, is the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Tester has touted his deep roots in the state and fighting to preserve its 'way of life.'

While Tester is ranked one of the most bipartisan senators in Congress and touts his moderate credentials in the increasingly partisan chamber, he has voted for Biden's biggest legislative priorities including the American Rescue Plan, Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure bill. More recently, Republicans have accused him for flip-flopping on the Laken Riley Act as he runs for reelection in a tough state for Democrats. The bill would require federal officials to apprehend immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes such as burglary or larceny until they are removed from the U.S. Tester previously voted against it as an amendment. But he is running this year in a state that Donald Trump carried in 2020 by more than 16 percent. He will be at the top of the ticket again in this presidential year.

Tester's expected opponent in the general election is Republican frontrunner Tim Sheehy, a close Trump ally. Sheehy is a businessman and former Navy SEAL who graduated from the Naval Academy in 2008. He is a top GOP recruit backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and received Trump's endorsement earlier this year. On Monday, he was endorsed by the NRA. Sheehy is the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, aerial firefighting company with multiple government contracts that went public with a valuation of nearly $900 million last year. Financial disclosures also show he has a number of investment and business holdings.

Federal Election Commission filings show he has given his campaign more than $2 million ahead of the state's primary. If elected, Sheehy would be one of Congress' wealthiest members. He has been closely aligning himself with Trump and has focused some of his messaging in the final days of the primary around Trump's conviction. The day Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York, the ex-president posted a video on Truth Social urging Montanans to get out and vote for Sheehy on Tuesday, calling him a 'true American warrior.'

In response to Trump's conviction, Sheehy released a Trump-like statement: 'RIGGED! New York v. Donald Trump is state-sponsored political persecution led by the Party of Joe Biden and Jon Tester. WE THE PEOPLE stand with PRESIDENT TRUMP!' Sheehy will also be the first GOP Senate candidate to go up with an ad centered on Trump's conviction according to Politico.

He has attacked Tester of being a top recipient of lobbyist contributions, pointing to tracking by the organization Open Secrets, accused him of flip-flopping on immigration and has attempted to tie the senator to President Biden.

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