WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) — Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is tasked with overseeing the party’s effort to retake the Senate, is one of two Democratic senators who haven’t endorsed Hillary Clinton‘s presidential campaign.
The other is Bernie Sanders.
Tester, who is chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, which coordinates resources and messaging for all the Democratic senatorial candidates across the country, told Politico on Friday he is maintaining his neutrality in the presidential race for the time being.
Tester’s decision to keep his oars out of the water in the presidential race comes as another prominent Democratic leader, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee has felt the wrath of the Bernie-or-Bust movement.
Wasserman Schultz has been locked in an ongoing intra-party feud with Sanders and his supporters over their perceived mistreatment by the DNC. Sanders has endorsed Wasserman Schultz’s primary challenger and is raising money for him.
With Sanders’ fundraising prowess at his back, Florida lawyer Tim Canova said he is close to raising $1 million for his primary campaign, a huge sum for a first-time candidate running against a powerful Democratic incumbent.
Tester told Politico he plans to endorse Clinton “sometime before the convention” but would not say when.
One other member of the Democratic caucus, Sen. Angus King, an independent, has also remained neutral in the race. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., endorsed Sanders — the only senator to do so — but has since said he believes Clinton will win the nomination and said he will support the party’s nominee.
