ROOKE: Former Sen. Jon Tester Goes Off On His Own Generation And Party

Former Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester delivered blunt, unfiltered criticism targeting both his own Baby Boomer generation and the Democratic Party he served in the Senate for 18 years.

In an interview with Semafor, Tester told the outlet that he still believes Democrats are on track for major wins in the 2026 midterms. However, there are clear improvements that need to be made in order to actualize victory, including paving the way for younger generations to assume power and overhauling their ability to sell their platform and policies to voters.

Tester, who is 69, placed significant blame on his own Baby Boomer generation for the nation’s current challenges, jokingly telling Semafor that while he is “young by Senate standards,” his generation is responsible for the state of this country.

“I spent 18 years there. It was a good 18 years, I worked my a** off,” Tester said. “My generation has screwed this country up enough, quite frankly. It’s time for a new generation to come in and fill some of these seats.”

But it wasn’t just his candid remarks about his generation that made this interview so interesting. In the same conversation, Tester turned his scrutiny toward the Democratic Party, offering sharp criticism of its communication and leadership approach.

Tester described the party’s messaging as consistently “horrible” and “not real clear.” He argues that it’s not about whether Democrats have better policies on key issues, such as the cost of living, inflation, housing affordability, college costs, and alliances with global partners. Democrats’ problem is that the party has failed to be aggressive or specific enough in promoting those positions. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

He urged Democrats to “be aggressive with a good platform on cost, inflation, housing, college, our relationships with our allies, all that stuff,” adding, “But they really haven’t done it yet.”

While Tester believes the midterms could see Democrats make historic gains in congressional seats, recent polling doesn’t tell the same story. An Economist/YouGov poll taken from Jan. 23 to 26, shows Democratic congressional approval ratings plummeting, especially within their own party.

NEW Economist/YouGov
63% of Democrats hold a favorable view of Democrats in Congress and 33% are unfavorable (+30)
This is down sharply from November 2024: 85% favorable, 10% unfavorable (+75)https://t.co/YRJtI5NL5S pic.twitter.com/ualtzt9Yan

— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) January 28, 2026

Democrats have a negative approval rating (-33) among Americans, with 62 percent having an unfavorable view and just 29 percent having a very or somewhat favorable view. This is a drop from when President Donald Trump was elected in November 2024, and Democrats had a net favorability of (-10). (Federal Judges Uphold Massive Blow To GOP House Control In 2026 Midterms)

Among Democratic voters, just 63 percent say they approve of their party members. This is a sharp decrease from the 85 percent of Democrats who had a favorable view of congressional Democrats in November 2024.

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