Democrats lose in rural America because ‘we’re terrible at messaging,’ says Sen. Jon Tester

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Said Sunday he thought his party’s “really bad” message cost Democrats support in rural America in the midterm elections in November.

In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Tester said Democrats need to focus their messaging “more on the things we’re doing for rural America.”

Tester pointed to bills he is working on regarding big packers and meat consolidation, which he says would help cow and calf farmers make a better living.

He also said he doesn’t believe Democrats talk about their accomplishments in a way that appeals “enough” to rural voters, citing the bipartisan Infrastructure Act passed by Congress last year.

“This is going to help rural America a lot, in terms of power and broadband distribution, roads and bridges. We haven’t talked about it,” he said. “We haven’t talked about it from a rural perspective.

For Democrats to get the message to rural America, Tester said, it has to be a “focused effort” because they’ve been “very bad” at getting it so far.

“And ‘If we’re able to do it and do it effectively, you’ll see those numbers change,'” he added.

President Joe Biden is still struggling to garner strong support in rural areas nearly two years into his presidential term. In a final NBC News poll ahead of the November 8 midterm elections, 44% of registered voters approved of the president’s performance. Biden got his lowest numbers among rural voters (29%) and independents (28%).