Politician, farmer, and now published author, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is hoping to offer Democrats a plan to recapture a segment of American voters in his new book Grounded: A Senator's Lessons on Winning Back Rural America. 

While President Barack Obama cut into Republican territory in rural America in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, President Donald Trump reclaimed the sector of voters in 2016. Tester told Cheddar that former VP Joe Biden must turn those voters back in order to have a shot at the presidency.

"This book does talk about how you deal with rural America and how you communicate with rural America. Authenticity matters. Joe Biden has that authenticity," he said.

Tester also backed Biden in his dismissal of Trump's ability to effectively lead the country, particularly when it comes to coronavirus.

"As long as the president has a different set of facts that he's working off of, it just extends the pain of this coronavirus, I believe," he explained.

Conflicting information regarding vaccines from the White House and medical professionals has been a point of controversy throughout the pandemic. Tester said the president's efforts to minimize the impact of the virus is a direct reflection of the state of the economy. 

"He's been doing this since the beginning. He's been in denial since the beginning and by the Woodward tapes, it shows that he knows better," Tester said.

With high rates of infections and the record number of jobless Americans holding steady, Tester believes Congress will be able to reach a stimulus deal after pausing talks last month. He said it simply comes down to both sides being open to hearing reservations from each other.

"Sit down at the negotiating table, listen to people's views, listen to the reasoning why they're advocating for dollars to be sent in different areas, and compromise and come up with a deal," Tester added.

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