Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) on Thursday said lawmakers of both parties would be tailoring their votes to satisfy their base until the primary season ends later this year.
{mosads}The Montana Democrat, who survived his own tough reelection bid last election cycle, said he could already see the primary season’s effect.
“Until the primaries get done I can tell you that — and you saw it with many of the votes, you are going to have folks looking over their right shoulder, and potential over their left shoulder too,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Tester classified the current election atmosphere as “crazy,” noting that ads against him in the last cycle started two years before the election.
He expressed little hope that Congress could get any major legislation finished in 2014 or in the final three years of Obama’s presidency.
“Well I would love to disagree with you but the track record isn’t particularly good,” he said when asked if Congress could get anything major done in Obama’s final term. “Not be repetitive, but we have to look for opportunities for bipartisan success.”