BILLINGS, Mont. — Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale of Montana dropped his bid for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, less than a week after entering the race, only to see former President Donald Trump quickly back his opponent.
Rosendale, a hardline conservative, said in a statement that with Trump’s support for fellow Republican Tim Sheehy and a lack of resources, “the hill was just too steep.” Trump’s endorsement came just hours after Rosendale signed paperwork to formally launch his campaign on February 9.
His departure from the race avoids what would likely be a months-long battle within the GOP ahead of Montana’s June 4 primary.
Washington Republicans had done their best to sideline Rosendale, with leading members of the party backing Sheehy as the party’s best chance to topple three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester — part of their strategy to to take control of the Senate by targeting a few. vulnerable Democratic seats in the 2024 elections.
Sheey, a former Navy SEAL who now owns an aerial firefighting company with extensive government contracts, is a political newcomer backed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Montana Sen. Steve Daines — the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
In Washington, Rosendale is among the most right-wing conservatives in the House of Representatives and is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He joined seven other members of his party in October to unseat Republican Chairman Kevin McCarthy. He supports Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 election.
Rosendale had said when he announced his campaign that he could challenge Tester, despite losing to him in 2018.
“I’ve won two elections since then,” Rosendale, 63, told reporters Friday as he entered the race. “And most importantly, my name ID and trust factor have increased dramatically. People know who I am.”
While a large contingent of conservative state lawmakers applauded Rosendale’s filing, Daines issued a statement saying, “It is unfortunate that Matt, instead of building seniority for our great state in the House of Representatives, is choosing to leave his seat and create a divisive primary.”
It is not clear whether Rosendale will seek re-election to his U.S. House seat after Thursday’s announcement. Several other Republicans have already announced their intention to enter that race, which is in a solidly Republican district.
Sheehy said in a statement that Rosendale is committed to reckless spending in Washington, D.C., and that he looks forward to working with Rosendale to defeat Tester.
Former Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson is also vying for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.
Montana Democrats had capitalized on the possibility of an ugly primary fight between Sheehy and Rosendale, which could have distracted Republican voters ahead of the general election and diverted some of the party’s campaign funds.
“Rosendale has argued for months that Tim Sheehy has no place representing Montana in the Senate, and he was right: Sheehy is an out-of-state tech billionaire who is completely out of touch with Montana’s way of life,” Sheila said, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Hogan responded to Thursday’s announcement.
The race is on track to be one of the most expensive in Montana political history. Spending on advertising by the candidates and outside political groups has already exceeded $18 million. Another $95 million in advertising has been reserved for the coming months, according to data from AdImpact, a company that tracks political advertisements.
Republicans’ maneuvering to boost their chances of capturing Tester’s seat began last year when Republican state lawmakers proposed changes to election rules that would have allowed only the top two candidates to advance from the Senate primary. to come in 2024. That likely would have kept third-party candidates out of the general election and could have swayed the election for Republicans.
Previous races for Tester’s seat were so close that some Republicans blamed third-party candidates for the Democrat’s victories.
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When Tester entered the Senate, Democrats held nearly every statewide elected office in Montana, from governor, secretary of state and attorney general to two of the state’s three seats in Congress. Since the 2020 election, this has been thanks to Tester’s seat.