Matt Rosendale, a Republican who began the month by launching a run for U.S. Senate only to terminate his campaign days later, will seek re-election to Montana’s eastern congressional district.
By Arren Kimbel-Sannit MONTANA FREE PRESS
Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale, a Republican who flouted the wishes of GOP party bosses and entered the race for the U.S. Senate only to end his campaign six days later, will run for re-election in Montana’s eastern House district, he announced Wednesday.
“Over the last few days, I have been humbled by the outpouring of support I have received to run for Montana’s second congressional district so we can continue our work to cut spending, secure the border, and restore America’s energy dominance,” he said in a statement on social media Wednesday. “At the urging of my family, friends, constituents and [former President Donald Trump], I announce my intention to seek re-election.”
Rosendale’s campaign said previously that Trump’s endorsement of Senate candidate Tim Sheehy was the primary reason for Rosendale’s early departure from the Senate race. But Trump said on social media that he would endorse Rosendale should he reverse course and decide to run for re-election in the House, where Rosendale has established himself as a prominent member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus.
Rosendale has yet to file House campaign paperwork with the Montana secretary of state, but he filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission last weekend, allowing him to begin fundraising for his House bid.
Given the advantage of incumbency and his existing name recognition, Rosendale’s entry to the House race likely complicates the plans of a legion of Republicans who have already begun campaigns on the assumption that Rosendale would run for Senate. Several of those Republicans said previously they would not run for the seat if Rosendale stayed in the House, though many later changed their position after initiating campaigns.
“I’m gonna keep at it, I’ve already filed, my paperwork is filed in Washington, D.C., and in Helena,” former state lawmaker Ric Holden, one of the now-nine Republicans in the race, told Montana Free Press Wednesday. “I’m on the ballot at this point, and I’m not gonna withdraw until I for sure know what Matt is going to do. I have not seen him file [with the Montana secretary of state].”
He added: “The way this race has been going, I’m not going to change what I’m doing. I’ve got meetings to attend.”
The list of Republicans vying for Montana’s eastern district includes a smattering of current and former state lawmakers, current state officials Troy Downing and Elsie Arntzen, former Drug Enforcement Agency official Stacy Zinn and former Congressman Denny Rehberg, who entered the race last week. The district leans heavily Republican, so the victor of the primary has an outsized chance of heading to Congress.
That said, three Democrats have entered the race: Helena’s Kevin Hamm, Billings’ Ming Cabrera, and, as of this week, Broadus rancher Steve Held, the father of one of the plaintiffs in Montana’s high-profile youth climate litigation.
In his statement, Rosendale also announced that he would support his erstwhile rival Sheehy as the GOP’s nominee to take on longtime incumbent Democrat Jon Tester this cycle. Sheehy will face former Public Service Commission member Brad Johnson in the GOP primary.
Sheehy, in turn, released a statement supporting Rosendale.
“I appreciate your support and look forward to working with you in the House, Matt!” Sheehy said on social media. “It’s time to unite and win back the White House, retake the Senate, and expand our House majority. It’s time to save America!
Democrats intent on sowing discord within the GOP seized on the apparent reconciliation between the two candidates. Just earlier this month, Rosendale had branded Sheehy an out-of-state “lackey” for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Montana Democratic Party noted in a statement Wednesday.
Political commentators and observers — not to mention leagues of social media posters — have for two weeks floated various rumors about Rosendale’s future and the reason for his sudden departure from the Senate race. Earlier this week, former Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota speculated — without evidence or a source — on a podcast that Rosendale backed out of the Senate race because of an affair with a staffer and that he may be resigning his House seat. Despite the lack of support for her claim, state and national media outlets picked up the story, leading to an ardent denial and threat of a lawsuit against Heitkamp by Rosendale’s camp. A lawsuit has not yet been filed.
Rosendale’s wife, Jean, took to local TV news this week to defend her husband.
“These lies are 100% false and are political mudslinging at its worst,” she told NonStop Local’s Bradley Warren.
