, where his small-town farming roots and populist reputation have helped him survive the state's increasingly conservative tilt.
Calling himself a “seven-fingered dirt farmer” after losing three fingers in a meat grinder as a child, Tester still returns home to work a farm in Big Sandy, Montana, that his family has held for three generations. When he is in Washington, he ambles the Capitol halls with a signature flattop haircut, seasons his statements to reporters with curse words and files bills aimed at “cleaning up” the lobbying industry as part of a mission to “reduce the power of big-moneyed interests in politics.
After defeating Burns, Tester committed to having a judge conduct regular audits of his office’s relationships with interest groups. Feldman, Tester’s spokeswoman, said the audits have found no cause for concern, though a review for 2021 through 2022 has not yet been completed. Over the years, his office has intermittently released the reviews to the public.
Business interests have shown up on Tester's list of campaign donors before. When he joined a bipartisan group of senators in, he held meetings with executives from Bank of America, Citigroup, Discover and Wells Fargo, as well as dozens of Montana banks. That year, he received $302,770 from the banking industry.
But he added: “When you take money from an industry that you’re responsible for regulating, that sends a message to the public that really calls into question whether you’re making policy decisions that are in the public’s best interest.”