Jon Tester Says He’s Concerned About ‘Rich Folks’ Buying Up Montana’s Land–But He Keeps Cashing Their Checks

While Montana transplants showered Tester’s campaign with money, his approval among lifelong Montanans has eroded

Sen. Jon Tester’s (D., Mont.) strategy for winning his uphill reelection campaign largely hinges on a single argument: That he, and not Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, represents the Montana values that are under threat by out-of-state interlopers.

But to spread that message, Tester is relying on out-of-state donors who bought up property in Montana, a Washington Free Beacon review of campaign finance records found. Those records reveal that Tester has accepted tens of thousands of dollars from millionaires who own sprawling second homes across the state.

That fact reflects the difficult balance Tester faces this November. Montana is a solid-red state that former president Donald Trump won by double digits, and Tester is the only remaining Democrat who was elected to statewide office.

Tester’s base of support among native Montanans—those who were born in the state—has eroded since he first arrived at the Senate in 2007. Recent polls show he is trailing Sheehy, who has repeatedly pointed out Tester’s liberal voting record.

Wealthy outsiders buying up property is a common grievance among Montanans. During the first debate between Tester and Sheehy, the Democrat said, “The bottom line is Montana is changing. We’re seeing a lot of folks come into the state—rich folks—who want to buy our state to try to change it into something it’s not.”

The fact that the race remains somewhat competitive is a result of two things: Tester’s incumbency and his massive cash advantage. Outside liberal groups supporting Tester’s candidacy have outspent Sheehy by tens of millions of dollars, on top of Tester’s eight-figure campaign cash advantage.

The Free Beacon identified 10 wealthy out-of-state donors with a history of buying property in Montana who have given large sums of money to Tester.

1. George Matelich, who works at a private equity firm in New York. Matelich has given Tester at least $6,600 since March of last year, listing his home state as New York. Over a decade ago, Matelich was the chairman of a group that purchased hundreds of thousands of acres from Montana farmers in order to create a quasi-national park. Not all locals were on board. The New York Times described the project at the time as evidence of “the transformative power of real estate … [as] mining towns become ski havens, high mesas become ranch retreats for business moguls.” Matelich himself has owned a number of properties in the state since 1996, records show, including one located in Big Timber, which is valued at over $3.5 million.
2. Michael and Tina Slack of Austin, Texas. The couple has given Tester at least $28,000 this election cycle and owns a 4,457-square-foot home in the resort town of Whitefish, Mont., which they purchased for more than $2.2 million in 2022. FEC records for the donations show they live in Texas.

   

3. Diana Goldberg of the ritzy Washington, D.C. suburb of McLean, Va. Goldberg purchased a more than $25 million home in Big Sky, Mont., three years ago. She has donated at least $7,700 to Tester this campaign cycle, listing her state of residence as Virginia.
   

   

4. John Manly of Irvine, Calif. A partner at the California law firm Manly Stewart Finaldi, Manly purchased a 6,904-square-foot home in Sula, Mont., in 2010. Then, in 2021, a family trust in his name sold the home, which then went back on the market last year with an asking price of $2.75 million. Manly has donated at least $6,600 to Tester’s campaign this cycle, listing his state of residence as California.

   

5. Sidney Herman of Chicago. A law firm partner, Herman has donated at least $3,300 to Tester’s campaign this cycle, listing Chicago as his residence. He owns a more than $1.8 million home and over 100 acres of land in Big Timber, Montana.
6. Maura Barstow of Littleton, Mass. Barstow’s Montana home is far more modest than many of Tester’s other wealthy donors—worth just under $500,000. Barstow donated at least $4,800 this campaign cycle, listing her state as Massachusetts.
7. Chris Schumacher of Woodside, Calif. Owned through a living trust, Schumacher’s Montana home was purchased for nearly $8 million in 2005. A local news story in 2012 said the five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom home was “built to enjoy the summers at Whitefish Lake.” Schumacher has donated at least $5,000 to Tester’s reelection campaign. FEC records list his home state as California.
   

   

8. Gretchen Burke, wife of former NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke, New York resident. Gretchen Burke has given Tester at least $4,300 this election cycle. FEC records note that Burke lives in New York. The couple has owned a variety of properties in Montana over the years, although they appear to have settled on a $6.25 million ranch. The pair bought the home, and they wrote for a local land conservation group after visiting Montana on a ski trip.
9. Greg and Anne Avis of Palo Alto, Calif. The couple has donated more than $13,000 this election cycle—listing California as their home state—and own more than 18,000 acres of land in Montana. They later built a ranch on the land, which they told the New York Times is fitted with a “half court for basketball.” Greg Avis hosted a California fundraiser for Tester last year, with ticket prices that fetched upwards of $6,600.
10. Sascha Douglas of Central Park West, Manhattan. Douglas, who splits her time between her nearly $8 million apartment in New York, has given at least $3,300 to Tester this cycle, listing New York as her home state. Aside from her Nantucket, Mass., home, Douglas also spends her time out of the city at her more than $7.5 million Big Sky, Mont., property.