Current:Home > MarketsConservative businessman Tim Sheehy launches U.S. Senate bid for Jon Tester's seat -WealthSync Hub
Conservative businessman Tim Sheehy launches U.S. Senate bid for Jon Tester's seat
View
Date:2025-04-12 18:32:36
Conservative businessman Tim Sheehy launched a Republican primary bid for the U.S. Senate Tuesday, hoping to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in what is expected to be one of the toughest Senate races in 2024.
The Montana Senate seat is critical to Republican efforts to capture the Senate majority.
In a minute-long video posted on Twitter, Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, talked about serving in Afghanistan before moving to Montana with his wife to start an aerospace company.
"Whether it's at war or business, I see problems and solve them," Sheehy said in the video. "America needs conservative leaders who love our country, and that's why I'm running for the United States Senate."
Sheehy is running in a state that is reliably conservative in presidential races. In 2020, President Donald Trump won Montana by 16 points over President Joe Biden. That same year, incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines fended off a challenge from then-Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, in his reelection bid, winning by 10 points. However, Cook Political Report currently rates the 2024 Montana Senate race as Lean Democrat.
"Tim Sheehy is a decorated veteran, successful businessman, and a great Montanan," Daines, who now serves as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement. "I could not be happier that he decided to enter the Montana Senate race."
While the Republican Senate campaign arm has signaled early support for Sheehy, he could be one of several candidates to compete in the Republican primary. Rep. Matt Rosendale, a close ally of former President Trump and Freedom Caucus member, is also expected to jump in the race – setting off what could be a brutal primary.
Rosendale lost his own Senate bid to Tester in 2018, but on Tuesday, he took aim at a potential Sheehy-Tester matchup, tweeting, "Congratulations to Mitch McConnell and the party bosses on getting their chosen candidate. Now Washington has two candidates — Tim Sheehy and Jon Tester — who will protect the DC cartel." He went on to say that Montanans don't take orders from Washington, and he believes they'll reject the "McConnell-Biden Establishment."
Tester announced his reelection bid for a fourth term in February. Democrats have touted his track record of bipartisan legislation in Washington as well as his deep ties to Montana as a third-generation farmer.
"Jon Tester has farm equipment that's been in Montana longer than Tim Sheehy," scoffed Montana Democratic Party spokeswoman Monica Robinson in a statement. "The last thing Montanans want in a senator is an out-of-state transplant recruited by Mitch McConnell and DC lobbyists. The tough questions Tim Sheehy is facing are just beginning."
Democrats currently hold a one seat majority in the U.S. Senate – but the 2024 Senate map appears to be more favorable for Republicans, who lost their majority in 2018.
- In:
- United States Senate
- Jon Tester
CBS News reporter covering economic policy.
TwitterveryGood! (952)
Related
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Gov. DeSantis signs bill requiring teaching of history of communism in Florida schools
- TikTok is coming for Instagram as ByteDance prepares to launch new photo app, TikTok Notes
- House Republicans unveil aid bills for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan as Johnson pushes forward
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- 'Bachelor' stars react to 'Golden Bachelor' divorce: 'Just two stubborn old people'
- Wednesday's NHL games: Austin Matthews looks to score his 70th goal against Lightning
- Ford recalls more than 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles over battery risk
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- With 'Suffs,' Hillary Clinton brings a 'universal' story of women's rights to Broadway
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Dawn Staley shares Beyoncé letter to South Carolina basketball after national championship
- Abu Ghraib military contractor warned bosses of abuses 2 weeks after arriving, testimony reveals
- Melissa Gilbert remembers 'Little House on the Prairie,' as it turns 50 | The Excerpt
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Air National Guard changes in Alaska could affect national security, civilian rescues, staffers say
- Harry Potter's Warwick Davis Mourns Death of Wife Samantha Davis at 53
- Billy Joel special will air again after abrupt cut-off on CBS
Recommendation
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Senate rejects impeachment articles against Mayorkas, ending trial against Cabinet secretary
Trump trial jury selection process follows a familiar pattern with an unpredictable outcome
Justice Department ramps up efforts to reduce violent crime with gun intel center, carjacking forces
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Astros announce day for injured Justin Verlander's 2024 debut
Sweeping gun legislation awaits final votes as Maine lawmakers near adjournment
Shapiro aims to eliminate waiting list for services for intellectually disabled adults