Sen. Jon Tester shied away from attacking the president on the campaign trail, instead touting times that he had worked with the White House. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Montna Jon Tester wins reelection in Montana

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has won reelection narrowly in Montana, defeating Republican Matt Rosendale after a fiery campaign marked by Tester’s clashes with President Donald Trump.

Tester had 49 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Rosendale, the Montana state auditor, when the Associated Press called the race on Wednesday afternoon with 92 percent of precincts reporting.


Tester had long been favored to win reelection, despite seeking a third term in a state Trump carried by more than 20 percentage points in 2016. But the race tightened significantly in the fall, and the president visited Montana four times to champion Rosendale, after Tester scuttled Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, White House doctor Ronny Jackson, after raising pointed questions about Jackson’s on-the-job conduct.

“He tried to destroy Admiral Ronny Jackson,” Trump said last weekend in Belgrade, calling Jackson “the most clean-cut, wonderful person that you've ever met.”

Tester “tried to destroy him, and I've never forgotten it, and it's honestly one of the reasons that I've been here so much. It really is ... It's a disgrace,” Trump added.

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Tester has never won 50 percent of the vote despite winning two terms in the Senate, and he shied away from attacking Trump on the campaign trail, instead touting times that he had worked with the White House and trying to connect with voters on a personal level about his experience as a rancher. Tester’s TV ads touted his roots in the state and his efforts to travel home from the Senate as often as possible.

Rosendale, meanwhile, pledged to be a reliable vote for Trump’s agenda.

Outside money, and Republican surrogates, poured into the tight race. The GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, spent $3 million for Rosendale for the final weeks of the campaign. Republican-allied groups, including Club for Growth and the Chamber of Commerce also threw money into the contest.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son, and Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee all campaigned for Rosendale, as did Montana’s other senator, Republican Steve Daines.