Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots

by Chris Bowers, Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 12:53:17 AM EST

I am still having a hard time believing what happened in Montana tonight. Not only did Jon Tester win, he demolished Morrison. Tester had only 20% in a poll back in January. Now, it looks like he is going to win by 20%.

Amazing. Remarkable. Historic. Revolutionary. The local netroots scene in Montana has shown the way. The gates have been crashed, and smashed into a thousand pieces.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jon Tester will be the next Senator form Montana. You can help him on his way by visiting the combined netroots page. Check out his blog too, and indeed the entire Montana blogosphere.

Take a bow, Montana netroots. You will be the toast of Yearly Kos now.




Tags: MT-Sen, Jon Tester, netroots, blogosphere, primary elections, activism (all tags)

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Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (3.00 / 1)

One of my favorite blog posts ever.

I am a college student in Michigan from Minnesota.

But I LOVE the Montana blogosphere.

Matt Singer and friends, this is for you!


by DFLer22 on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 12:58:09 AM EST

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (none / 0)

Give me a break.  I KNEW we'd be all over ourselves taking credit for this.  ALL of the credit goes to the candidates, not the geeks sitting in front of their computers compulsively clicking "refresh" for the latest election results.  Let's not dislocate our shoulders patting ourselves on the back here.  Tester's victory isn't a gate-crashing victory for anyone but himself; and let's not lose sight of the fact that as President of the State Senate he's not exactly an outsider/insurgent candidate. Very simply, this is just a classic case of a good candidate (Tester) beating a candidate weakened by personal scandal (Morrison).  After the disclosure related to his affair, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Tester ended up creaming Morrison.


by darrenfelipe on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 01:03:29 AM EST

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (3.00 / 1)

I'm sure you are right. The $50K raised online, the dozens of volunteers, the national buzz, the local netroots blogs in Montana reaching an audience greater than any newspaper in Montana--it didn't mean anything. And yes, when a poll two days ago showed Morrison ahead 42-41, everyone should have assumed that Tester would cream Morrison. That is how I read every poll when a candidate is losing by one. If you are down by one, you will crsuh your opponent.

In short, what the fuck ever dude.
by Chris Bowers on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 01:13:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (none / 0)

I didn't say it didn't help, but I do think it is a vast overstatement to take credit for his landslide victory.  His primary budget of $900k ensured Tester was well able to fully execute a comprehensive campaign plan.  Having worked in Montana I know that banging around on your wife isn't going to appeal to the typical Montana Democratic primary voter, a large number of whom are working class folks from rural areas.  The smashing nature of Tester's victory was due to his personal appeal, his fully funded campaign and his opponents wandering wiener, not primarly because "$50k raised online," "national buzz" and "local netroot blogs."  


by darrenfelipe on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 11:29:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

1275 ActBlue Donors Deserve Some Credit (none / 0)

906 folks donated $28k to Tester's campaign from the Netroots Candidates page, which isn't chump change. And net folks were talking up Tester when no one else was, which may have helped keep him going long enough to really turn things around this year. So while I don't think this is a total netroots-beats-everyone win, especially because we don't know how much the scandal played into things, I do think it's fair for them to get some credit.


by Dave Thomer on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 01:14:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (none / 0)

It was that great hair cut ad that did it.  I wish I coulda voted for the guy.


by Winston Smith on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 03:39:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Good candidate? (none / 0)

Tester had a reputation, prior to this race, of not being a good candidate.

Tester did a lot of growing, politically, and the Netroots certainly helped.

I'm glad to see the more progressive candidate win.


by jcjcjc on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 09:12:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (none / 0)

Let's bring a little balance to the Chris-darrenfife food fight:

I share some of darren's views: Jon's victory shouldn't be couched as a victory for the netroots. Morrison was sinking like a stone and polls couldn't capture the surging sense amongst Democrats that Tester was a much better candidate to beat Burns. The 42-41 poll was conducted over a week before the election and didn't capture what so many were feeling in Montana. Also, it is ludicrous to think that the readership of Montana's blogosphere exceeds the readership of ANY of the state's major dailies, let alone all of them.

Finally, the Dean Iowa debacle highlighted the limits of an internet-based campaign without the commensurate ground game. Hitting the doors and the phones still matters and unless a candidate is filthy rich, you still have to have a ground game. Particularly in Montana.

On the other hand, having a strong internet presence is increasingly an important part of a candidate's toolbox, and Chris and others accurately point out the ways that the blogosphere helped Jon.

I find that bloggers have a tendency to overstate the value of the blogosphere. But the internet has obviously become a vital component of any campaign and will undoubtedly increase in significance over time.


by jflashmontana on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 04:29:52 PM EST

Re: Jon Tester: An Historic Win For the Netroots (none / 0)

I share some of darren's views: Jon's victory shouldn't be couched as a victory for the netroots. Morrison was sinking like a stone and polls couldn't capture the surging sense amongst Democrats that Tester was a much better candidate to beat Burns. The 42-41 poll was conducted over a week before the election and didn't capture what so many were feeling in Montana. Also, it is ludicrous to think that the readership of Montana's blogosphere exceeds the readership of ANY of the state's major dailies, let alone all of them.

Finally, the Dean Iowa debacle highlighted the limits of an internet-based campaign without the commensurate ground game. Hitting the doors and the phones still matters and unless a candidate is filthy rich, you still have to have a ground game. Particularly in Montana.

On the other hand, having a strong internet presence is increasingly an important part of a candidate's toolbox, and Chris and others accurately point out the ways that the blogosphere helped Jon.

I find that bloggers have a tendency to overstate the value of the blogosphere. But the internet has obviously become a vital component of any campaign and will undoubtedly increase in significance over time.

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by entiengol on Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 04:16:26 AM EST


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