Democrat Jon Tester will run for 4th term as Montana senator

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Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., will run for re-election in 2024, the three-time senator from Montana announced Wednesday.

Tester's seat is a critical one for Democrats seeking to maintain control of the Senate in the upcoming election. Tester is the only Democrat in Montana to hold a statewide office.

"I know that people in Washington don’t understand what a hard day’s work looks like or the challenges working families are facing in Montana," Tester said in a statement. "Montanans need a fighter holding Washington accountable."

Tester's seat in a red state where former President Donald Trump topped President Biden by 16 points in 2020 is a top target for Senate Republicans as they aim to win back the chamber's majority in the 2024 elections. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has already been targeting Tester with digital ads that link the senator to Biden and Democrats in Washington.

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Sen. Jon Tester announced he is seeking re-election for a fourth term. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, holds a critical seat for Democrats in the 2024 elections. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"It's official. I'm running for reelection," Tester tweeted Wednesday. "Montanans need a fighter that will hold our government accountable and demand Washington stand up for veterans and lower costs for families. I will always fight to defend our Montana values. Let's get to work."

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Tester had waffled for weeks about whether to run for re-election in the heavily Republican state.

The NRSC ads have called on Tester to "retire or get fired." Montana senator and NRSC Chairman Steve Daines said in a previous statement Tester should expect a "brutal two years" of campaigning if he ultimately seeks re-election.

The NRSC also hit back at Tester just minutes after he announced his candidacy.

"The Tester-Biden agenda has given Montanans rising crime, higher taxes, and an open southern border that is flooding communities with deadly fentanyl. Montanans are going to send Joe Biden’s favorite Senator packing in 2024," NRSC spokeswoman Maggie Abboud said Wednesday.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., a McCarthy holdout during the speakership battle earlier this year, ran against Tester in 2018, losing by a narrow margin in the general election. Rosendale has expressed interest in a rematch with Tester but has not yet announced his candidacy. 

Sen. Jon Tester, right, leaves the Capitol following votes. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Rep. Ryan Zinke, elected to Montana’s 1st Congressional District in 2022, has also hinted at his interest in the seat, but will decide on a Senate run sometime in 2023, he said in an interview with The Associated Press last year.

Fox News' Sophia Slacik and The Associated Press contributed to this report.