This article has been updated to include more posts in response to Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) move to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker and his comments on prayers for a narrow majority in the House.
The House made history on Tuesday by voting to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House after granting Rep. Matt Gaetz to leave his seat. This is the first time in over 100 years that such a proposal actually aroused the speaker’s concerns. It didn’t take long to see the potential fallout for Republican House members who voted to oust McCarthy, including Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana’s 2nd Congressional District.
Shortly after the vote, HuffPost’s Igor Bobic posted on X reporting that Sen. Steve Daines, a Montanan who also chairs the National Republican Party Committee (NRSC). As Bobic put it in his post: “NRSC Chairman Daines slams Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale” after the congressman voted to remove McCarthy and quoted Daines as saying, “I didn’t realize Matt Rosendale and Nancy Pelosi were on the same prayer group.”
NRSC Chairman Daines is lashing out at GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale, who is considering MT for the Senate, after he voted to oust McCarthy.
“I didn’t realize Matt Rosendale and Nancy Pelosi were on the same prayer group,” he tells me
— Igor Bobić (@igorbobic) October 3, 2023
Another post by Bobic shared a clip from TheMessenger’s Dan Merika providing further context on how Rossendale prayed for a slim majority. Gaetz also appeared in the clip as the two spoke to Steve Bannon during a Zoom briefing during which they mentioned support for ousting McCarthy
“What we showed, OK, with a very small group of people… that we can have a huge impact on this body,” Rosendale told Bannon, sitting next to Gaetz. He also related that “when, unfortunately, many people voted to create 270-280 Republican Houses,” he “prayed every night for petite majority, because I realized that a slim majority was the only way to advance the conservative agenda and that if it was a proper majority, if we had six or seven very powerful people, we would have carried the conference to the right and we did it!”
Pointing to Gaetz, Rosendale declared that “Matt Gaetz was there from the very beginning and helped make this happen. But it always comes down to leadership,” Rosendale recalled, offering “we have to change this leadership.”
Merica’s exclusive report on this stock was published for TheMessenger on Monday afternoon. The “closed briefing” was described as a “virtual briefing for approximately 50 top conservative donors.”
He referred to this story https://t.co/XW5bU1fOLh
— Igor Bobić (@igorbobic) October 3, 2023
Rosendale did not endorse McCarthy during the 15 ballots needed to elect him speaker in the early morning hours of January 7. He also did not vote for the Continuing Resolution (CR) that was passed on Saturday to keep the government open for 45 days and avoid a government shutdown.
That’s why his vote Tuesday afternoon to remove McCarthy is not surprising. But that could have consequences if he decides to run for Senate to challenge Jon Tester, one of the particularly vulnerable Democrats running for re-election in 2024.
Daines isn’t the only one digging in Rosendale. As also mentioned in the Merika report:
Top Republican operatives are wary of Rosendale’s Senate run, and many are still bitter about his 2018 campaign, in which he lost to Tester by more than three percentage points and was otherwise a good year for Senate Republicans.
“It’s not conservative to root for Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden in the midterms,” a top GOP adviser said of Rosendale’s comments. “Gaetz and Rosendale focus on what gets their attention – they are not serious about supporting conservative policies.”
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, a Montanan, urged Rosendale to remain in the House and build seniority in his home state. Daines endorsed Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and CEO of an aerial firefighting company. Sheehy also received endorsements from Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and several GOP senators.
Rosendale hasn’t formally announced his candidacy yet, but yes he is widely expected to run for the Senate again. He has stepped up his rhetoric in recent weeks, sending rallying emails to supporters, regularly mentioning the Senate race and criticizing both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He also privately told people that he planned to challenge Sheehy to challenge Tester.
He called Sheehy a “DC cartel” candidate and a member of the “Biden/McConnell establishment.” Sheehy responded harshly, calling Rosendale “a knowledgable person that no one likes.”
Rosendale he competed and lost Tester in 2018, winning 46.8% of the votes to Tester’s 50.3%. Although some forecasters thought the race slightly favored Tester, Cook’s political report deemed the race a “tossup.”
On his political account, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who hasn’t been afraid to get involved in various other 2024 Senate races with his endorsement, reposted the Merika clip to mock Rosendale’s 2018 graduation.
For 2024, the Cook Political Report believes the race slightly favors Tester, while other forecasters consider it a toss-up race. Montana, along with Ohio and West Virginia, is seen as one of them the the most vital Senate races to watch in a year that could be better for Republicans, or at least better than 2022 for a seat defended by vulnerable Democratic officials.
Maryland Matt Rosendale praying for Democrats to win election? Did God answer his prayers in 2018 when Jon Tester humiliated him?
This is just one of the many, many reasons why Maryland Matt won’t come within even the slightest mile of the Senate. https://t.co/3JNnSyD2Na
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 4, 2023
