On Thursday evening, news broke that Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) had reportedly announced that he would be running again for a rematch with 2018 Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Washington examiner reported:
Rosendale told colleagues he planned to launch his campaign shortly before the March 11 filing deadline, according to a source with direct knowledge and four sources familiar with the matter. One source said they believe Rosendale could start as early as the last two weeks of February. It would change the way we look at race as Senate Republicans they already have their preferred candidate, Tim Sheehy, and they see Rosendale as a liability because he already lost to the senator. Jon Tester (D-MT) once before.
A staffer for the congressman’s campaign told Townhall that “Representative Rosendale has not made a decision yet. “He is focused on serving the people of Montana and spent the week fighting to fund government in a transparent and accountable way.”
However, there have been conversations and concerns about Rosendale’s candidacy for months.
A Republican strategist covering Senate races shared a list of these concerns with Townhall, noting that “Republicans are right to be skeptical of Matt Rosendale for many reasons.” This includes Democratic involvement, such as those with Democratic ties.
“First, [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s colleagues are spending millions of dollars supporting Rosendale over Tim Sheehy. This is because they know that if Rosendale wins the main tester, he will beat it like a drum, just like he did in 2018.” – said the strategist, who had more to say about this failure. “Secondly, Rosendale did nothing to address the issues he lost the 2018 race. He is still a terrible fundraiser and still has a thick Maryland accent that offends Montana voters.”
Last top PAC spot that registered with Federal Election Commission (FEC) last September, has ties to national Democrats and is prosecuting Tim Sheehy. This was mentioned in reports from POLICY AND CNNand a separate report from the Washington Examiner.
Democrats tried the same tactic in the 2022 election. As Townhall reported at the time, Democrats were trying to support candidates like Don Bolduc against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and John Gibbs, who was now scheduled to face Republican Hillary Scholten (R-Mich.) in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District . Gibbs has now defeated former Republican Peter Meijer, who voted for articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, in the August 2022 primary. Both Bolduc and Gibbs lost their general election races.
The strategist also addressed Schumer, expressing concerns about interest in a Rosendale bid. “It’s unclear who, other than Matt Rosendale, Chuck Schumer and Jon Tester, wants Matt Rosendale to run for Senate,” the strategist added.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) took note of the comments, referencing Maryland and its 2018 loss to Tester in a fiery post from his X account. Rep. Ryan Zinke, another Montana Republican, responded with a photo, in which Rosendale rejects a call from Trump in January regarding McCarthy’s selection as speaker at the beginning of the 118th Congress. It took McCarthy 15 rounds to finally take the hammer in the early morning hours of January 7. Ultimately, Rosendale voted “present.”
The strategist also mentioned such incidents, claiming that “all Rosendale is doing is discouraging Republicans.”
— Ryan Zinke (@RyanZinke) October 4, 2023
Trump’s name and possible role in the endorsement were discussed in detail in a CNN report last December. There are certainly questions about whether Trump will commit to the primary, especially considering Rosendale ultimately endorsed him for president in December. Sheehy did this in April.
As for rejecting Trump’s call, Rosendale he told Montana Talks he didn’t answer the phone a brief time later because it was a “finable offence.”
“Frankly, talking on the phone on the floor or using a camera on the floor is a punishable offense. You are not allowed to talk on the phone on the floor,” Rosendale said. “This is a punishable offense and I have steadfastly represented Montana and found it completely inappropriate for anyone to call the president without my consent and attempt to engage me in conversation while I was engaged in a historic, rapidly changing vote was unlawful.”
As mentioned by the Washington Examiner, the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is already supporting Tim Sheehy in the race, having filed last June. Sheehy, a political outsider, is the CEO of Bridger Aerospace and a former Navy SEAL.
The chairman of the NRSC, Sen. Steve Daines, is also from Montana. Comments he has made about Rosendale in the past have ranged from his joke in October that “I didn’t realize that Matt Rosendale and [former Speaker] Nancy Pelosi is on the same prayer group,” to telling CNN that “I like Matt Rosendale. I hope he stays in the chamber and gains seniority.”
He referred to this story https://t.co/XW5bU1fOLh
— Igor Bobić (@igorbobic) October 3, 2023
In 2018, Rosendale lost to Tester by 3.5 points. Trump won the state in 2016 by 20.5 points AND in 2020 by 16.4 points. Daines also won re-election in 2020 by 10 points.
Forecasts they currently consider the race to be “Throw”. The 2024 Senate map looks especially favorable for Republicans when it comes to retirements and vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election, especially compared to 2022. With the retirement of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Montana is considered one of best chance of success for Republicans, as does Ohio, where Democratic senator Sherrod Brown is running for re-election. Race in Ohio is also considered to be “Throw”.
