A parade of high-profile GOP officials is throwing support behind Tim Sheehy’s bid to oust Montana’s last Democrat holding statewide office.
Mr. Sheehy, an aerospace millionaire and former Navy SEAL, is vying for the Republican nomination to take on longtime Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. He has wracked up a batch of GOP endorsements, including one from the state’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, as he seeks to scare off any potential competition in the primary race.
Mr. Gianforte was the latest GOP official to throw support behind Mr. Sheehy within days of the campaign launch last week. Mr. Gianforte called Mr. Sheehy a “good friend” and lauded his business experience and military service.
“I know Tim Sheehy will serve Montana well in the U.S. Senate, and he has my full support,” Mr. Gianforte said in a statement.
Endorsements also poured in from GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
The Montana Senate race is one of a handful of key contests set to determine whether Democrats can hold onto their narrow majority in the upper chamber.
Democrats hold a razor-thin 51-49 majority in the Senate, and Mr. Tester is among the party’s most vulnerable incumbents. He is the lone Democrat elected to statewide office in a state that has been moving further and further to the right in recent years.
The Montana Democratic Party was quick to go after Mr. Sheehy after his announcement. The party launched a website, transplanttim.com, to question his Montana roots and highlight that Mr. Sheehy was recruited by national Republicans.
Mr. Sheehy, a Minnesota native, was recruited by Sen. Steve Daines, who is Montana’s junior senator and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The Montana Republican Party has remained neutral for the primary race.
For now, Mr. Sheehy has a clear path to the Republican nomination in Montana, but there is speculation Rep. Matt Rosendale will enter the GOP primary.
Mr. Rosendale, who lost to Mr. Tester by over 3 percentage points in 2018, has not shut down the idea.
Mr. Rosendale decried Mr. Sheehy’s campaign announcement on social media last week, saying that the businessman was an establishment candidate picked by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, who is highly unpopular with the party’s arch-conservative wing.
A spokesperson for Mr. Rosendale noted that a Public Policy Polling survey last month showed the congressman with a 54-point advantage over Mr. Sheehy, and an OnMessage poll in February showed Mr. Rosendale with a 5-point advantage over Mr. Tester.
Another possible contender is Rep. Ryan Zinke, a fellow Navy SEAL who pinned the Purple Heart Award on Mr. Sheehy in 2015. Mr. Zinke has not announced his reelection run in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, but he has signaled support for Mr. Sheehy.
“He’s a phenomenal candidate [and] would be a great senator,” Mr. Zinke told The Washington Times.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washigtontimes.com.