Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, withdrew from the Senate race Thursday, days after launching his bid to take Democratic Sen. Jon Tester's seat, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.
After months of teasing the campaign, the senator jumped into the race on Friday, taking aim at then-frontrunner Tim Sheehy, who was scouted as a candidate by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). . Former President Donald Trump quickly endorsed Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, just hours after Rosendale's launch, prompting him to suspend his brief campaign.
“As everyone knows, I plan to run for the United States Senate and win both the primary and general election. But the day I announced, President Trump chose a different candidate. Rosendale told DCNF in a statement. “I have been a supporter of the president for many years and still am. But I was forced to calculate what my chances of success would be if President Trump supported his opponent. .”
“This race is already going to be tough because I was running against Mitch McConnell and the Republican establishment in Washington. But voters don't agree with their choice of the next senator from Montana. So I felt like we could beat them,” Rosendale added. (Related: Trump embarks on tough Republican primary race with Senate support)
Matt, this is your 8th political run in the last 14 years, and you still can't do Montana justice. 4 months is a long time… pic.twitter.com/GzY2iJ4vXM
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) February 9, 2024
Rosendale played Tester in 2018, but lost to the Senators by 3.5 points. The NRSC cited this defeat as a reason for not accepting him as a candidate.
“But by my calculations, the hill was too steep because of President Trump's support for the opposition and lack of resources,” Rosendale said. “I spoke with Sen. Daines earlier this week, and we both agreed that this is the best path for Republicans to regain a majority in the Senate.”
The congressman has not yet decided whether to seek re-election to the House and said he plans to return to his home in Montana to “prayerfully consider what's next.”
cook political report characterize Test seats in the “toss-up” category, along with other contentious races in Arizona and Ohio.
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