GREAT FALLS, Mont. He defied the odds once, then a second time and a third. Now, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is hoping to do it again. Now on his fourth try, hes facing his biggest test yet in a state where, lately, all that seems to matter when election time rolls around is whether you have an R next to your name.

As the last statewide-elected Democrat in Montana, Tester is an endangered species. Most of his Democratic friends in the Senate who also hailed from red states have long since been defeated by Republicans or chosen to leave on their own terms (West Virginias Sen. Joe Manchin is retiring this year), in yet another sign of the countrys deepening divisions.

Montana has also tilted redder since Testers 2018 victory that looked equally insurmountable. The states shifting demographics fueled by an influx of new residents amid the pandemic Donald Trumps sky-high popularity, and outsized national attention on the stakes of the race all threaten to spoil the senators campaign for a fourth term.