Senate Race Shake-up: Biden and Trump's Impact

Princeton politics lecturer Lauren Wright joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss President Biden and former President Trump's influence on key Senate campaigns, as candidates like Jon Tester navigate attacks and controversy.

Princeton politics lecturer Lauren Wright joined 'Fox News Live' to analyze the impact of President Biden and former President Trump on key Senate campaigns. The spotlight has fallen on Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who has come under fire for driving a Prius, a vehicle associated with environmental consciousness.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate Republican campaign arm, released a press release titled "BOMBSHELL: Jon Tester drives a Prius." Senator Tester responded with a fiery statement, calling the authors of the headline "a bunch of jacka--es."

Senate Race Shake-up: Biden and Trump's Impact

"What a bunch of jacka--es," Tester told a Huffington Post reporter, before listing all the other types of vehicles he owns.

"I've got an '86 Chevy. I got a 2018 GMC. I got a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. I've got a Celica. I've got a Peterbilt. I've got a 67 International truck. I've got a 96 International truck. I've got a 78 GMC. Want me to keep going?" asked the Democrat, who is seeking re-election in Montana in 2024.

Senate Race Shake-up: Biden and Trump's Impact

Tester continued by saying he is "gonna spend $10,000 this week on diesel filling my bulk tanks that I use for planting my crop in the ground. Does that make it okay now?"

In addition to the press release, NRSC communications director Mike Berg shared footage of Tester getting into his red Prius and a screenshot of a Washington Post article about Tester writing in his 2020 memoir that he bought a used Prius to drive around Washington, D.C.

Senate Race Shake-up: Biden and Trump's Impact

Tester's defense of driving a Prius fueled further attacks on social media, prompting his communications director to respond on Twitter.

"The NRSC, with their finger firmly on the pulse of Montanans, comes out swinging against Jon Tester for his shared hobby of restoring old cars with his son," said communications director Monica Robinson.

NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud said that Tester's response "says a lot about how much of a swamp creature Jon Tester has become."

"There aren’t a lot of dirt farmers in Montana who drive a Prius. Jon Tester has gone Washington," Abboud said in a statement, telling Fox News Digital that "it says a lot about how much of a swamp creature Jon Tester has become that his defense of driving a Prius is that he also owns 8 other cars."

Berg called Tester "very mad" and echoed the "multimillionaire swamp creature" attack line on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has reached out to Tester for comment. The controversy surrounding Senator Tester's Prius highlights the influence of Biden and Trump on Senate races, as candidates navigate political dynamics and voter perceptions.