BILLINGS - Montana U.S. Sen. John Tester is standing by comments he made earlier this month where he questioned President Joe Biden's chances at winning reelection.
The initial statement was made at a Democratic Party lunch meeting, in which multiple representatives expressed concern over whether or not Biden could handle the job for another four years following his shaky performance in the first debate against former President Donald Trump.
On Thursday morning, Tester was in Billings advocating for an injured veteran bill. When asked, Tester stood by his original comments.
"The debate was alarming," Tester said. "Let's put it mildly. I think the President needs to make sure that the people of the United States know that that was a one-off, if it was a one-off."
Tester said he doesn't believe Biden has looked healthy enough this past month. On Wednesday, Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 and Tester said he wants to see him prove he can handle the stresses of the job.
"He certainly hasn't proved it to me yet," Tester said. "We will continue to watch him and analyze whether he's up for the job for another four years."
Many wonder if the concerns surrounding Biden will affect Democrats in state races around the country. Montana State University Billings professor and political analyst Paul Pope said there's a chance it could.
"Presidents have a big impact on the down-ballot candidates," Pope said Thursday afternoon. "But also, all of those elections are local."
Pope said that while there is influence from the Presidential candidates in state elections, it's common right now to see candidates from both parties attempt to differentiate themselves from their party.
"That tells me that they are aiming for the middle where vast majority of voters are," Pope said.
Pope said that can be seen here in Montana, claiming that both Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy have chosen stances that don't typically align with their party.
"You've got Republicans saying Democrat things and you've got Democrats saying Republican things," Pope said. "And I think that's going to become more and more common."
But Tester said he's focusing on his race with Sheehy, which promises to be another tightly contested one for the Senate seat.
"I can only do what I can control," Tester said. "And what I do is try to go out and do the best thing for the people of the state of Montana and the country overall. That's what I can control and that's what I'm going to do and continue to do."
All happening in the midst of an unprecedented and shaky time in American politics that Pope compares to the times during the Civil War.
"The last time we've had this much political animus, it was the election of Abraham Lincoln," Pope said. "We're at the precipice of that groundbreaking and changing environment for the United States."
