Tim Sheehy wins GOP nod to challenge Tester for Senate in Montana

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Businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Montana on Tuesday, giving him a chance to face off against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in November, according to the Associated Press.

With about half the votes counted, Mr. Sheehy had 73 percent of the vote, well ahead of his less well-known rivals. Brad Johnson, the former secretary of state of Montana, got 19 percent, and Charles Walkingchild got 7.5 percent.

“As a Navy SEAL, I have always put country before myself and I am running for US Senate to support Joe Biden and Jon Tester’s efforts to end inflation, seal our border, secure our children’s future, and put America first,” Mr Sheehy said in a statement, adding that he was “humbled and honoured by all the support.”

The Republican primary had been a close one since February, when Representative Matt Rosendale abruptly dropped out of the race — less than a week after joining it — citing former President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement of Mr. Sheehy. Mr. Rosendale, a right-wing hardliner, had been seen as the only serious rival to Mr. Sheehy, for whom the Republican establishment had worked to clear the field. His victory is a boon for Republicans as they work to regain control of the Senate, competing on a favorable map that leaves several vulnerable Democrats facing tough fights for re-election.

“Tim Sheehy is a strong conservative, an American hero, and a successful businessman who will bring an outsider’s perspective to a broken Washington,” said Sen. Steve Daines, the Montana Republican who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the Senate. “The clearest path to a Republican Senate majority is through Montana.”

Mr. Sheehy will face a strong opponent in Mr. Tester, a popular candidate who has survived past challenges in his ruby-red state based on his background as a third-generation Montana farmer and his reputation for bipartisanship. Recent polls have suggested a tight contest, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Montana a “tossup.” Mr. Tester officially clinched the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.

In a post on X on Tuesday night, Mr. Tester acknowledged his November opponent: “It’s official. I’m running against Mitch McConnell’s chosen candidate, Tim Sheehy, for Montana’s U.S. Senate seat. And I’m going to win.”

Mr. Tester has a cash advantage; he raised $4.1 million between April 1 and May 15, and his campaign has $11.7 million cash on hand, according to recent financial filings. Mr. Sheehy’s campaign raised $2.1 million in the same period — including $600,000 the candidate lent himself — and has $2.2 million cash on hand.

But Republicans believe Mr. Tester, first elected in 2006, is particularly vulnerable in this election. After more than 17 years in Washington, they feel his rural, working-class narrative has lost its appeal among Montana voters, and they argue he has been a reliable vote for laws signed by President Biden that are unpopular among the state’s voters. They plan to pin the border crisis and the rising cost of living in Montana on Mr. Biden and, by extension, Mr. Tester.

Democrats have responded by attacking Mr. Sheehy’s biography. As a wealthy businessman who grew up in Minnesota and moved to Montana a decade ago, they say he is emblematic of a trend of rich people moving to the state and driving up housing prices, which has angered longtime residents. (Mr. Sheehy, who runs a Hawaii firefighting company and has a stake in a cattle ranch, made his wealth after moving to the state.)

They have also poked holes in his backstory, specifically pointing to questions about how he got the bullet wound, which he has said came from his time in Afghanistan.