For the second time in 24 hours, a vulnerable three-term Democratic senator in a red state has fallen. Republican Tim Sheehy declared victory over Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) Wednesday morning after the Associated Press called the Montana race. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL closely associated with President-elect Donald Trump, ran a hard-hitting campaign supported by millions in outside spending that effectively linked the Biden-Harris administration’s issues to his opponent. With 92% of votes reported, the first-time candidate secured 53.3% of the vote compared to Tester’s 44.9%; Libertarian candidate Sib Daoud garnered 1.1%, while Green Party candidate Robert Barb received 0.6%.
“Since day one, we’ve been running a grassroots campaign, talking directly with Montanans about how we make Montana affordable again, make America strong again, and bring back Montana common sense, which means a secure border, safe streets, cheap gas, cops are good, criminals are bad, boys are boys, and girls are girls,” Sheehy said in a statement to the AP. He added on X, “We The People made our voices heard, we completed our mission, and now we will secure our children’s future and save America together!!”
THANK YOU, MONTANA!!
We The People made our voices heard, we completed our mission, and now we will secure our children’s future and save America together!! ???? pic.twitter.com/tAhb05grPG
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) November 6, 2024
Tester fell victim to the same outsider-style campaign he employed during his first Senate run in 2006. At that time, former Republican Sen. Conrad Burns became embroiled in a Washington lobbying scandal, giving the mountain state Democrat a narrow victory by less than 1%. However, this time, it was Sheehy who portrayed Tester as a duplicitous insider aligned with Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that he failed to embody Montana’s rugged lifestyle and rural values.
Tester conceded, telling supporters he called Sheehy to congratulate him while predicting he would go back to working on his farm, a humble retirement for a giant of the Senate’s moderate center. “Look, I’m very, very blessed,” he said. “I’ve had a great 18 years in the United States Senate. I’ve met some incredible people along the way and had the opportunity to do some great things to help move this state forward, move the country forward.”
Exit polls indicated that about 4 in 10 Montana voters considered control of the Senate the most significant factor in their voting decision. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who announced in March that he would step down from his leadership role after the elections, appointed Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) to oversee the GOP’s senatorial campaign arm. Daines, Montana’s junior senator, invested tens of millions of dollars in portraying his colleague as a far-left Democrat.
Even before Sheehy’s victory, Republicans had secured a Senate majority. Wins in West Virginia and Ohio flipped two seats, with the latter marking the end of three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s career, resulting in a 51-49 split in favor of Republicans. The party continues to build on those gains while also defending members like Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL), both of whom successfully fended off less formidable challenges on Tuesday night.
