Jon Tester for U.S. Senate

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[Bill Lombardi sent the following email to campaign members today. To sign up to receive emails, click here.]

Your hard work is paying off.

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of Montana voters– out today– shows Jon Tester tied with Conrad Burns, 45 percent to 45 percent.

The same poll shows that Conrad Burn would beat State Auditor John Morrison, 46 percent to 43 percent.

That??s a double-digit gain for our campaign in less than four months. As the Rasmussen Report says:

[Burns??] re-election effort is apparently suffering from lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s guilty plea and widely publicized agreement???. to cooperate in the investigation of congressmen who may also have broken the law. [Conrad Burns] recently returned $150,000 in contributions from Abramoff.

But while Conrad Burns?? entanglement with Jack Abramoff and special-interest lobbyist money may be turning off voters, it??s your grassroots effort and support that are truly propelling Jon Tester??s campaign.

Every email you??ve forwarded, every friend you??ve asked to join our email list, every dollar you??ve contributed has gotten us to where we are today.

But we can??t let up. The Burns campaign hopes to throw $10 million of their special-interest lobbyist money into this race, and they??ll do anything to hang on to their seat.

So please, take a moment to redouble your efforts. Forward this email on to your friends and family, and ask them to join you in supporting Jon Tester for U.S. Senate. And if you are able, consider making a contribution to the campaign today:

http://www.testerforsenate.com/contribute/

We??ve gained incredible momentum. Keep up the hard work???and together we??ll send Montana values to Washington, D.C., in November.

Bill Lombardi
Montanans for Tester

(Also posted at Daily Kos.)

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[Jon released the following statement earlier today.]

Tester: ???Minimum Wage Initiative is ???Moral Necessity?????

???If you work full time, you should make fair wage. That??s common sense.???

January 10, 2006 (BIG SANDY, MT) ??? U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester today endorsed the citizens?? initiative to raise Montana??s minimum wage by a dollar an hour, from $5.15 to $6.15 an hour.

???The minimum wage initiative speaks to whether we value work,??? Tester said. ???Raising Montana??s minimum wage to $6.15 an hour will allow more workers to support their families, more families to make ends meet, and more Montanans to go to work instead of going on welfare. That saves taxpayers?? money.???

The initiative could be placed on the November 2006 ballot.

???Polls show that Montanans want this,??? Tester said. ???But I don??t need a poll to tell me it??s the right thing to do. The last time Montanans tried to raise the minimum wage, special interests helped defeat it. I??ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn??t happen this year. Montana??s working families deserve a raise.???

Montana, Tester noted, ranked dead last ??? 50th ??? in the nation in annual average wages for its workers from 1999 through 2004. And Montana ranked third nationally in 2004 for multiple job holders (holding two or more jobs) as a percentage of total employment in the state, Tester added.

Tester has fought for a boost in the minimum wage.

In the 2005 Legislature, under Senate President Tester??s leadership, the Montana Senate passed Senate Bill 78, which would have increased Montana??s minimum wage to $6.00 an hour. Tester voted for the bill. But the measure was defeated in the evenly divided Montana House of Representatives on a party-line vote.

Montanans for Tester hit the ground running and earned national media attention in the first week of 2006???Jon??s call for an end to the culture of corruption in Washington D.C. was featured in recent news articles.

In The Guardian yesterday, commentator Gary Younge discusses the Abramoff plea agreement and highlights Jon Tester’s efforts to bring integrity to the U.S. Senate.

From the story:

?????This kind of politics,?? said Democrat Jon Tester, ???doesn’t really represent the rank-and-file folks that are out there every day trying to make ends meet.?? Tester is challenging Montana’s Republican senator, Conrad Burns, who had close ties to Abramoff.???

The author doesn??t pull any punches and criticizes many members of congress from both sides of the aisle for their deep ties to the pocketbooks of corporate lobbyists. As President of the Montana Senate, Jon Tester worked to help main street businesses, develop renewable energy, and bring meaningful prescription drug coverage to Montanans. Tester has always demonstrated his commitment to the needs of everyday Montanans and shown he can counteract the pay-to-play political game in government.

Last week, the Los Angeles Times also commented on the ???culture of corruption??? in the Republican Congress. Ronald Brownstein??s piece cites Tester’s efforts to bring accountability and honest leadership to Washington D.C.

The Great Falls Tribune also featured words from Tester on cleaning up government.

???Senate President Jon Tester, D-Big Sandy, one of the four, called the Abramoff plea ???sad.??

???What this indicates is that the culture of corruption in Washington, D.C., is real and it needs to be cleaned up,?? Tester said. ???Those congressmen who are affiliated with this pay-to-play situation need to be replaced with people who have integrity and honesty and want to represent the people of Montana.?????

It??s time for honest leadership for Montana in the U.S. Senate. Join the campaign by signing up for our email list, volunteering, or making a contribution today.