
Sharla Tester: They’re telling blatant lies about Jon
Sharla Tester
Whether you’re watching the Griz or the Cats game on a Saturday afternoon, or just flipping through cooking shows and old movies like I often do, I know Montanans are sick of turning on the television and seeing the never-ending stream of political advertisements.
My husband doesn’t let himself get bothered by all the lies on TV. But as Jon’s wife, I can’t help but reach for the remote — because those TV ads about Jon couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’ve been married to Jon for 47 years. We are partners in everything we do: as parents, grandparents, and farmers who still work the same land Jon’s grandparents homesteaded in Montana more than 100 years ago. So as someone who knows Jon best, I want to tell you about the man who goes to bat for Montana every day.
Jon works hard sunup to sundown to protect our Montana way of life. My husband knows that your word is your bond, and a handshake still means something. He’ll stand up to anyone — including members of his own party — to do what’s right for our state, because for him, Montana always comes first.
I’ve seen Jon’s relentless work ethic on the farm, whether it’s picking rock, fixing up the combine, or spending hours on the tractor plowing down peas. And I’ve seen his work ethic as Montana’s senator: Delivering health care and benefits our veterans have earned, investing in our infrastructure and broadband, fighting for our freedom to make our own health care decisions, protecting our public lands, and standing up to President Biden and anyone in Washington who just doesn’t understand rural America.
So when D.C. consultants and out-of-state millionaires who don’t know anything about Montana spend millions of dollars to attack Jon, trying to convince you he’s somebody that he’s not because they can’t beat who he is, it’s time to turn off the TV.
Outside interest groups have stooped to the slimiest tactics to attack my husband. Independent fact checkers have debunked their lies over and over again. They’re lying about Jon’s record on Social Security and Medicare, when the truth is he’s been a champion for our seniors and has never voted to cut those benefits. They’re lying about Jon’s record on the border, even though he’s working to secure the border and hire more Border Patrol agents. And the most absurd ad of all? They’re saying my husband doesn’t support white Montana farmers — even though he sees one in the mirror every day.
Don’t let the lies on TV fool you. My husband is a third-generation Montana farmer who loves our kids and grandkids, loves this country, and loves Montana. No amount of outside spending will change the fact that Jon will never stop fighting to defend our way of life.