An incumbent congressman from Montana is seeking reelection after leaving a tense race for the United States Senate.
Representative Matt Rosendale announced he is now running for a second term in the House of Representatives two weeks after ending his Senate campaign.
“I have always said I will serve where the people of Montana feel I can be most effective, and serving Montana in Congress has truly been the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” he said in a statement shared on X on Feb. 28. “When I announced my campaign for the U.S. Senate, I believed that was the most effective way to serve the people of Montana.”
Rosendale said there was no “viable path forward” after he was unable to secure either the financial resources or an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Still, he appeared to harbor no ill will toward the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
“President Trump has been the greatest president of my lifetime, and the American people must send him back to the White House in November,” said the congressman, who is a member of the Freedom Caucus.
“At the urging of my family, friends, constituents, and President Trump, I announced my intention to seek re-election,” he added.
The Montana Senate race is one of the most contentious in the country. Republicans are hoping to replace the only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation, Senator John Tester, in an effort to take control of the chamber in November. A poll conducted by SurveyUSA around Feb. 16 found that Tester led both Rosendale and Tim Sheehy, the other Republican candidate, by nine percent.
Sheehy is a former Navy Seal who was endorsed by Trump on Feb. 9.
“Tim Sheehy is an American Hero and highly successful Businessman from the Great State of Montana,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He is strongly supported by our incredible Chairman of the NRSC, Steve Daines, and many other patriotic Senators and Republicans who have endorsed our Campaign to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump said he respects Rosendale and that he would endorse the rancher if he elected to run for a second term in Congress.
“But in this instance, Tim is the candidate who is currently best-positioned to DEFEAT Lazy Jon Tester, and Regain the Republican Majority in the United States Senate,” added the former president.
Rosendale also stressed the importance of defeating Tester in the upcoming election.
“Jon Tester is Chuck Schumer with a flattop,” he wrote. “He’s New York’s third senator, and he must be retired. … I am supporting Tim Sheehy as our party’s nominee so we can rally together to defeat Jon Tester and take back the U.S. Senate.”
