Montana Sen. Jon Tester endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Friday after staying neutral throughout the Democratic primary.
Tester, chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, was one of two Democratic senators who had yet to boost Clinton. The other is socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her primary opponent.
“Hillary is the most qualified person on the ballot to unite our nation at a time when dangerous rhetoric threatens to divide us,” Tester said in a statement. “I look forward to working with her to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, keep our country safe, and invest in education and infrastructure so we can move our nation forward.”
As chair of the DSCC, Tester is in charge of helping Democratic senators regain the majority in November with Clinton at the top of the ticket. But Tester has avoided supporting Clinton for nearly a decade. When asked whether he found Clinton appealing in 2006, Tester said, “I don’t think she does much” for him, according to the Associated Press.
Nearly a decade later, Tester questioned the wisdom of Clinton choosing a female running mate makes sense.
Asked about Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as a possible choice for Clinton’s VP pick, Tester responded, “I don’t know if, is the country ready for two women? I don’t know.”
Tester, who indicated he prefers Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown for Clinton’s vice presidential selection, later walked back his answer about Warren and said, “I shouldn’t have said that and it doesn’t reflect my values.”
The Montana senator’s support for Clinton could go a long way toward presenting a unified front before the convention in July.
