Republican Tim Sheehy won his party鈥檚 nomination to run for Montana鈥檚 U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, according to a race call by The Associated Press.
Sheehy, a former Navy Seal and entrepreneur, . He addressed his lack of legislative experience head on at a dinner with Montana Republicans earlier this year.
鈥淚鈥檝e been criticized by a lot of people, some in this room [who ask], 鈥榳ho the hell is this guy? He鈥檚 never been in office before. What does he think he鈥檚 doing running for Senate?' 鈥� he said.
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He told Republicans at the dinner he鈥檒l need broad support to win this fall.
鈥淭o sum it up, I鈥檓 here because I love this country, I fought for this country, I鈥檝e lost friends for this country, my wife fought for this country. Our country is in great peril. We are at a crossroads of the nation,鈥� Sheehy said.
Sheehy has GOP establishment support and his party鈥檚 nomination. But now, he must convince enough Montanans he鈥檚 the right person for the job instead of a three-term incumbent. Tester has held public office for more than two decades and has outraised Sheehy so far three to one, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The general election stakes include the political balance of the U.S. Senate and the chance for Republicans to control all statewide offices in Montana.
Appearing on MSNBC after polls closed on Tuesday, Tester lashed out at his opponent on Tuesday, telling MSNBC鈥檚 Lawrence O鈥橠onnell that folks are trying to "buy Montana" and turn it into a "playground for the rich."
鈥淎nd quite frankly, I鈥檝e got a lot of equipment that I鈥檝e owned longer than he鈥檚 been in the state of Montana,鈥� Tester said.
Sheehy is backed by Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines and is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Trump鈥檚 son, Don Trump Jr., rallied for Sheehy and other Republican candidates at a recent fundraiser in Missoula, Mont. He said Sheehy is the best shot the party has at taking control of the Senate.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do it now, it鈥檚 a decade til we even have a chance, meaning a chance where there鈥檚 like a red state with a blue state senator in it that鈥檚 up for election that we can actually make gains, for a decade,鈥� Trump Jr. said.
Who is Tim Sheehy?
Sheehy lives just outside of Bozeman with his wife Carmen, a Marine Corps veteran, and their four children. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with valor and the Purple Heart while in the military. Sheehy is originally from Minnesota but moved to Montana in 2014 and founded two companies focused on aerial firefighting and drone technology. In 2020, he bought land along the Little Belt Mountains in central Montana and started a 20,000 acre cattle ranch with two partners.
Sheehy says he decided to get into politics after the Biden administration鈥檚 chaotic . The Biden White House has said it was constrained by the previous administration and blamed Trump for the lack of preparedness.
鈥淲e gave up our 20s to fight for this country. And Biden literally washed it all away, and didn鈥檛 even say sorry for it,鈥� Sheehy said. 鈥淎nd I knew right then that I had to get involved.鈥�
Sheehy says his lack of political experience is a strength. If he wins, he'll unseat a longtime senator who chairs the Veterans鈥� Affairs Committee as well as the Appropriations Committee鈥檚 Defense subcommittee. But Sheehy pointed to Congress鈥� low approval rating, which in May 2024.
鈥淪o obviously whatever we鈥檙e doing there is not working very well. The American people do not have confidence in that body. So to continue to send the same people back there over and over and over and over again is probably not the way to fix America right now.鈥�
厂丑别别丑测鈥檚 includes proposals to cut the federal budget by shrinking the executive branch. He鈥檚 suggested the U.S. Departments of Education and Homeland Security could be eliminated, arguing they add bureaucracy for services states and local communities should provide.
鈥淲e have a blended homeschool model with our kids,鈥� he said, 鈥淭hey go to a co-op with other faith-based, ag families. We don鈥檛 have the federal government giving us a handbook saying teach your children this. We don鈥檛 need that.鈥�
Sheehy said that could work for other communities.
Sheehy has called for the U.S. to complete Trump鈥檚 wall at the southern border, saying it needs to be sealed to prevent illegal immigration. He鈥檚 also been critical of the passage of a $95 billion foreign aid package that a majority of Republican senators supported. And he says the U.S. has stretched itself too thin in its foreign policy.
Sheehy faces hurdles, including name recognition and distrust
While Sheehy has the party鈥檚 top brass by his side, he still has to convince Montanans, including some Republicans, he鈥檚 right for the job.
Nathaniel Palmer is a conservative-leaning voter and U.S. Army veteran from Billings. He said he鈥檚 dissatisfied with Tester鈥檚 work.
鈥淪o, somebody new would probably be better,鈥� Palmer said. The issue, for Palmer, he says, is that he doesn鈥檛 know much about Sheehy, putting the Republican candidate at a disadvantage in name recognition right now.
And he faces other hurdles, too.
The Washington Post that Sheehy was cited in 2015 for accidentally discharging a gun in Glacier National Park that lodged a bullet in his arm. The story raised questions, as Sheehy had written in his memoir about aerial firefighting and said on the campaign trail that the bullet in his arm is from his days in active combat.
Sheehy insists he actually fell while hiking and that no gun was involved; he says he mentioned an old bullet wound when he sought treatment at a local hospital. And he says he then lied to a Glacier National Park ranger about the origin of the bullet to protect his platoon mates from an investigation into a friendly fire incident.
厂丑别别丑测鈥檚 is inconsistent with a park ranger鈥檚 2015 account, which was detailed in a summary the . However, he鈥檚 resisted releasing medical records that may show when he sustained the bullet wound, saying he shouldn't have to do that if Tester doesn't.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty ridiculous that after serving my country and being wounded overseas, I鈥檓 being forced to present medical records. I ran and got an X-ray to prove to the Washington Post after they were trying to convict me in the court of public opinion that I was a fake veteran of stolen valor. So I think it鈥檚 pretty insulting and ridiculous,鈥� Sheehy said.
The Washington Post reported the X-ray was inconclusive in determining when the injury occurred. 厂丑别别丑测鈥檚 Bronze Star and Purple Heart are unrelated to the injury and not in question. Questions about the bullet wound did not arise until the National Park Service citation was published.
Aside from making headlines over the bullet wound, Sheehy has faced some distrust within his own party.
That includes Al Olszewski, a surgeon and former state legislator who chairs the Flathead County Republican Central Committee. He posted a video to Facebook with a 鈥渃all to action鈥� after party leaders backed Sheehy in the Senate race instead of Rep. Matt Rosendale, who has since dropped out.
鈥淩espectfully decline and oppose our party bosses and our rulers who are continuing to shove down our throats their demands and their pet candidates,鈥� Olszewski said.
The GOP primary included former Secretary of State and Public Service Commissioner Brad Johnson.
When he announced his candidacy, Johnson said it鈥檚 a David vs, Goliath-type competition. He said he believes Sheehy got party support for one reason.
鈥淚t had nothing to do with policy, or experience, or electability 鈥� it had to do with money. And that to me is at the root of the problem we have with the system today,鈥� Johnson said.
Millions more in outside spending on the race is expected to pour in to Montana over the next few months.
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