Ex-Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy eyes Montana Senate clash with Rep. Matt Rosendale:
Ex-Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy enters the race for the Montana Senate seat, setting up a potential primary battle with Rep. Matt Rosendale: ‘I solve problems in war and business’
- Sheehy hopes to fire Democrat Jon Tester next year
- He could run against Trump-backed Matt Rosendale, who has not yet formally announced his intention to stand
- Congressman Rosendale accused Sheehy of being the incumbent GOP candidate
Ex-Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has said he will run to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate next year against three-term Democrat Jon Tester.
The military veteran announced his bid on Tuesday, calling for “a new generation of leadership” by 2024.
From inflation to our border to our deficit, America is ready for change. And I think it’s time for a new generation of leaders to step forward,” Sheehy told Fox News.
‘Leaders who understand servant leadership, that is setting the mission before yourself, and leaders who understand how you achieve results.
“Whether it was in war or business, I see problems and solve them,” he said with a thinly veiled swipe at Tester, who is close to Joe Biden.
Tim Sheehy is a decorated war veteran who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan
Father of four, Sheehy, who is also a successful entrepreneur, has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region.
The CEO of veteran-founded Bridger Aerospace, a company that builds aerial firefighting aircraft, received the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and the Purple Heart Medal after his overseas travels.
His wife Carmen is also a fellow veteran and served as a Marine in Afghanistan.
The Senate race in the Treasure State – Montana’s nickname for its rich mineral reserves – is probably one of the closest in the country.
Along with races in Arizona and West Virginia, the seat is one of a handful expected to determine majority control of the chamber in the next Congress.
The upper house is currently controlled by the Democrats.
Republican congressman Matt Rosendale is also rumored to be considering a second bid to fire Tester, after failing to do so in 2018.
The 62-year-old did little to quell that speculation on Tuesday, placing an all-out attack on Sheehy and the GOP leadership.
“Congratulations to Mitch McConnell and party bosses on getting their chosen candidate,” he wrote on Twitter. “Now Washington has two candidates – Tim Sheehy and Jon Tester – who will protect the DC cartel.”
Donald Trump-backed Rosendale, who did not enter the US Congress until 2020, warned that “Montanans don’t take orders from Washington.”
Steve Daines, chairman of the Senate National Republican Committee, welcomed Sheehy’s entry into the race, but dropped out with an endorsement.
Tester, 66, has been a U.S. senator for Montana for three terms but faces a major challenge from GOP candidate Tim Sheehy
Tim Sheehy is a decorated veteran, successful businessman and a great Montanan. I couldn’t be happier that he has decided to enter the Montana Senate race,” Daines said in a statement.
However, officials from the Montana Democrats lashed out at Sheehy, labeling him an “out-of-state transplant” who did not move to the state until 2014.
“Jon Tester has farm equipment that has been in Montana longer than Tim Sheehy,” said a spokeswoman for the Montana Democratic Party.
66-year-old TEster announced in February that he would seek a fourth term, bolstering Democrats’ hopes of retaining the Senate seat.
In his 2018 race, Tester beat competition Rosendale, who was then the state auditor, to win by some 3.5 percentage points.