BOZEMAN—Montana Senator Jon Tester picked the wrong influencer in a bid to draw more online support in the sprint finish of his hotly contested Senate race.
PACs aligned with the Tester campaign reached out to University of Montana athletes for endorsement under new NCAA rules that allow collegiate athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. But the three-term incumbent was rebuffed when asking for endorsement in exchange for cash — over Tester’s support for allowing male athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Instead, the vulnerable Tester is on the receiving end of criticism, not support. Female collegiate athletes at UMT were asked to show support for Tester on their social media accounts in exchange for money, but took to the web instead to criticize Tester’s record allowing biological male transgender athletes to compete against women.
Key Takeaways:
-
Liberal-aligned PACs are paying social media influencers to post in support of target Democratic candidates, including Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and US Senator Jon Tester (D-MT).
-
Female collegiate athletes at the University of Montana rejected the opportunity to receive compensation for supporting Tester online, citing his voting record to support the permission of male athletes competing in women’s sports
National Stage
The Harris Presidential campaign has fallen under scrutiny, criticized for “astroturfing,” or curating widespread support under the guise of genuine grassroots enthusiasm. Rather than online buzz being a reflection of organic support for a given candidate, some Democrats are artificially creating buzz by paying people to post supportive content about their candidacy.
PAC Money in Montana
A political action group, "Montana Together," recently solicited athletes at the University of Montana, offering financial compensation in exchange for their online promotion of the incumbent Tester. The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2021 Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) policy allows collegiate athletes to monetize their own content. Several University of Montana collegiate athletes were approached with a lucrative NIL deal to post on their own social media platforms in exchange for cash.
University of Montana track athlete Lily Meskers shared her reaction to a solicitation for cash payments ranging from $400 to $2,400 to post content supportive of Tester.
"When I first received the NIL deal offer, I immediately felt frustration. I had to ask myself, ‘Why would someone seek my endorsement when their values directly negatively impact me?’ Tester's vote against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is against everything I’ve worked toward as a female athlete. This vote is a gateway to biological men taking away scholarships, medals and roster spots from female athletes. Many female athletes on my team shared this frustration," Meskers said
Politics makes its way into the NIL field.
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) August 29, 2024
"A group called "Montana Together" recently sourced athletes at the University of Montana (UMT), offering payments in exchange for the promotion of Tester."https://t.co/7VmKqg9cai pic.twitter.com/uLCC9rHOpL
Riley Gaines, 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer turned women’s activist came after Tester’s voting record:
“This is Tester attempting to gaslight Montanas … into believing that he cares about female athletes and women’s athletics: he does not. He has made that very clear in his voting record for the Protection of Women in Sports Act.”
Senator Tester @SenatorTester has proven that he doesn't care about female athletes or women's sports.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 30, 2024
So why is he paying collegiate female athletes to endorse him? Simple: he knows his voting record doesn't reflect the values of Montanans.pic.twitter.com/aCno1ue1zy
Gaines then highlighted an upcoming Senate vote on legislation that has already passed in the US House pertaining to Title IX. “The Senate has two more weeks to vote on the Title IX CRA that already passed the House, that would counter the Biden Administration’s harmful re-write of Title IX. But, I imagine they won't vote because Democrats don't want to be on the record saying they oppose biological reality and, frankly, common sense.”
Montana Stakes
Senate challenger Tim Sheehy, has been vocal in denouncing both the permission of male athletes in female athletic competitions and the influx of funds entering the Montana political scene. Tester is among the Senate’s top recipients of lobbyist cash. At just 37 years old, Sheehy is nearly half Tester’s age, and is a first-time ever political candidate, compared to Tester, who has served in public office since 1999.
In his campaign appearances across the state, Sheehy has been direct on the issue of men usurping women’s sports: “Montanans are ready for change, they’re ready for accountability back in our government, they’re ready for common sense back. They want secure borders, safe streets; cheap gas; cops are good, criminals are bad; boys are boys, girls are girls.”
We’re going town to town across Montana to meet Montanans where they’re at, hear from them, and talk about how we will bring back COMMON SENSE and SAVE AMERICA! #RetireTester pic.twitter.com/ZmSD55RUnH
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) August 2, 2024
Sheehy’s messaging also shines a spotlight on the financial reality of liberal, out of state interest groups steeringMontana politics. Tester votes in support of Biden-Harris legislation 91% of the time, according to pollster and analyst Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.
Tester’s votes at odds with Montanans come with the vulnerable Senator’s campaign cash coming from major national banks and defense groups. Tester has shown ideological alignment with Senate heavyweights Chuck Shumer and Nancy Pelosi — which highlights what’s at stake for Montanans, and for Democrats’ maintaining their slim Senate majority.
Why is Chuck Schumer pouring MILLIONS in DARK MONEY into Montana to help @JonTester?
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) August 20, 2024
Because Schumer needs Tester to end the filibuster to jam through their radical agenda that can’t win support from the American people.
Our mission: RETIRE TESTER. FIRE SCHUMER. SAVE AMERICA! pic.twitter.com/X5NgfQxaz5
In ideologically red Montana, Sheehy’s rhetoric offers a stark contrast to the liberal-aligned voting record of incumbent Senator Tester. His message is resonating. The upstart Sheehy is favored to win by a slim but significant margin. With less than 70 days remaining until Election Day, the highly-anticipated outcome of Montana’s US Senate race will shape the nation. For Tester, as the Democratic Party has lurched far to the left, supporting men competing in womens’ sports may have been a bridge too far.
Follow the Big Sky Prospector for news and updates.
