Democrat Montana Sen. Jon Tester – a wealthy politician who recently took aim at “multimillionaires” and concluded that they don’t “understand what a hard day’s work looks like” – has spent his Senate career dining on sumptuous meals at high-end restaurants.
First elected to represent Montana in the Senate in 2007, Tester has sought to brand his role in the upper chamber as a “tireless defender of rural America.” His net worth is between $1,768,009 and $6,695,000, according to 2021 Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.
In addition, Tester reported thousands of dollars worth of stocks and other investments, as well as bank deposits, in its 2021 records.
While his net worth consists in part of the value of his farmland and associated assets he owns, Tester’s campaign and PAC leadership have spent at least $1.2 million on restaurants and catered events since 2006, according to campaign finance records.
TESTER RAILS AGAINST ‘MULTI-MILLIONAIRES’ AT RE-ELECTIVE LAUNCH BUT ANNOUNCEMENT REVEALS HIS OWN WEALTH
Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., questions members of a panel testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on China’s high-altitude balloon surveillance efforts against the United States on Feb. 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
First reported by the Washington Free Beacon, restaurant spending since 2019 includes more than $270,000 on meals.
The spending of the Montana Democrat, who announced last month that he would seek re-election for a fourth term in the Senate, includes $31,000 at Morton’s Steakhouse, flagged by the Free Beacon as a “mainstay in Washington where 8-ounce steaks cost $53 cost and margaritas cost $35 a pop.”
During his Senate career, Tester also spent heavily at upscale places like Del Frisco’s steakhouse and RPM Italian, spending $8,100 and $6,000 respectively at each restaurant. In addition, the Tester campaign has splurged on Bistro Cacao, where Tester spent $15,745, and Bistro Bis, an upscale French restaurant where he spent more than $9,000.
Tester’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fox News Digital’s spending.
DEMOCRAT JON TESTER WILL RUN FOR 4TH TERM AS SENATOR FROM MONTANA
Tester, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2007, announced last month that he would seek re-election for a fourth term. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg)
Tester’s spending on food comes after he told the New York Times early in his Senate term that he’s “happier” when he doesn’t eat out and instead prefers to cook meats brought back from his ranch in Montana.
“At the end of the long day, I’m happier if I don’t go out (to eat),” Tester told the exhaust pipe in 2012. “Bringing meat is just something we do. We love our own meat.”
Earlier this week, Tester, who faces what is expected to be one of the toughest Senate races in 2024 as Republicans scramble to regain control of the U.S. Senate, targeted “multimillionaires” at the Montana’s 45th annual fundraising dinner. Democratic Party to kick off his campaign.
“I know the people of Washington don’t understand what a hard day’s work looks like; they often don’t understand the challenges that working families face,” Tester said in his dinner address. “But that’s exactly why I run. I run to keep fighting for you, to keep fighting for the values of Montana, the state we all love.”
Tester — whose net worth ranges between $1,768,009 and $6,695,000, according to FEC data — targeted “multimillionaires” at the 45th annual fundraising dinner for the Montana Democratic Party to launch his campaign. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
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Several times during his speech, Tester took out Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., and potential Senate challenger Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. rhetoric instead of fighting for working families across this country.” He also described himself as the “only working farmer in the US Senate”.
It remains unclear who will face Tester, but rumor has it that Rosendale and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., Consider running races for the Republican nomination.
Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this article.
