Free Republic

Montana‘s Jon Tester is running for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate and he’s found himself an interesting political target: his own political record. On key issues from illegal immigration to hunting, Tester is openly campaigning against the political positions he took as a lawmaker. The longtime senator has attempted to distance himself from his own record as he likely faces his most difficult campaign yet. Tester has never been up for reelection with former President Donald Trump, who won Montana by double-digits in both 2016 and 2020, on the other side at the top of the ticket. Montana...

"That Montana meat cutter became I guess the number one recipient of lobbyists dollars in all of Washington." Donald Trump Jr. endorses Tim Sheehy for Montana senator, says Jon Tester godson claimed he 'sold out' to the Washington swamp. At a recent Republican rally in Missoula, Montana, Donald Trump Jr. revealed that Democratic Senator Jon Tester’s godson admitted to him that Tester sold out to the swamp and supports Republican nominee Tim Sheehy for the senate seat. Speaking before a crowd of over 300 attendees, Trump Jr. expressed support for Republican nominee Tim Sheehy in the Montana Senate race, painting...

A new poll this week shows Republican challenger Tim Sheehy leading incumbent Democratic senator Jon Tester in Montana’s Senate race. Sheehy is leading Tester 48 percent to 45 percent, with 7 percent of polled Montana voters still undecided, according to the poll released on Monday by J.L. Partners. Montana is poised to have one of the most closely watched Senate races this fall as Republicans and Democrats ramp up their fight for control of the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority. While the poll shows the Democratic incumbent enjoys greater popularity among women, younger voters, and independents, Sheehy,...

Left-wing activists in Montana have officially launched their signature collection effort to enshrine abortion into the state constitution. “On Tuesday, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights announced that it has officially launched its signature drive to get the required 60,000 signatures from Montanans by June 21 to qualify the measure on the ballot,” The Hill reported. The constitutional initiative, called CI-128, would “expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. It would prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability.”

The Senate Majority PAC and an affiliated nonprofit have injected themselves into Ohio and Montana Republican primaries this cycle... Groups aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have meddled in several Republican primaries this election cycle, a tactic that has been underway a number of years. The Senate Majority PAC (SMP), which works to elect and keep Democrats in Congress' upper chamber, has targeted Republican primaries in at least two states for the 2024 elections. SMP tends to maneuver using other groups to conceal its involvement until after the primaries. It mainly targets swing states by boosting candidates supported by...

Victor Davis Hanson interviews the former Navy SEAL and conservative congressman about his life, private business, and campaign to become Montana's next senator.

Republicans are gearing up for what could be an epic showdown for majority control of the Senate with several contentious elections around the country later this year. Democrats control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map in 2024, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of those seats are in red states former Donald Trump carried in 2020 - West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. Five other seats, one of which is held by an independent, are in key swing states narrowly carried by President Biden in...

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana abruptly dropped his reelection bid on Friday — the second time in the past month that the hardline conservative lawmaker has entered and then quickly dropped out of a congressional race. Rosendale cited defamatory rumors and a death threat against him that prompted the lawmaker to call law enforcement to check on his children as reasons for retiring at the end of his term in January 2025.

In the ongoing Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZ) case in Billings, Montana, the trial date is currently set for March 25, 2024. The process is a long and difficult one for Gabriel Metcalf and his mother, Vivian. Because this is a criminal, not a civil, case. Gabriel’s freedom is at risk. The current judge, Federal District Judge Susan P. Watters, has ruled the GFSZ to be constitutional, and the Montana Establishment of Individual Licensure law is insufficient to be an exception to the GFSZ. Going through the process of a challenge to the constitutionality of a criminal charge is...

16 Republican AGs seek answers from Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf... ... debanking ... Wells Fargo is pushing the Biden administration's anti-gun and anti-traditional energy policies and discriminating against customers who don't fall in line with their political beliefs," Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen... As attorney general, it's my job to protect Montanans from discriminatory business practices. I will continue to investigate and fight against any illegal actions that could impact Montana businesses and consumers." ... Wells Fargo unexpectedly closed the business and personal accounts of Bradon Wexler, the owner of Florida-based firearms dealer Wex Gunworks, with a vague explanation...

A PAC associated with Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who voted against impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, could “trigger more blowback from Trump.” NBC News reported on Tuesday that some of former President Donald Trump’s allies and advisers have been stewing over Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) likely bid for the Senate to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Many top Republicans have backed entrepreneur and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy as Rosendale failed to defeat Tester in the 2018 election cycle, during a time that many other Trump-friendly states such as Florida, Indiana, and North Dakota managed to win their respective elections.

BILLINGS — A Montana Army National Guard recruitment poster is being taken down statewide after an editing mistake was pointed out on social media. The poster reads: "It’s more than college money….It’s the spirit of tradition." But in the background, images of German Nazi World War II soldiers are prominent, which sparked outrage online. "I’m sure that somewhere, the (Public Affairs) office for the National Guard is squirming, to say the least,” said Randy Stiles, a district commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Billings, on Friday. Last fall, the poster was distributed across Montana. "I can see their...

A green nonprofit that is indirectly funded by a foreign billionaire is pressuring broadcasters to drop advertisements that criticize the Biden administration’s massive electric vehicle (EV) agenda. Climate Power wrote to numerous broadcasters this week demanding that they stop airing American Fuel and Petrochemicals Manufacturers (AFPM)-funded advertisements in swing state markets that rail against President Joe Biden’s plans to impose widespread EV adoption in the coming years. The charitable organization affiliated with Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss health care mogul and billionaire philanthropist, donates millions of dollars to the Fund for a Better Future, which was the fiscal sponsor for Climate...

Montana GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale has dropped out of the state GOP Senate primary less than a week after announcing his campaign, he confirmed to Politico. Rosendale lost to Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in a 2018 bid and last week sought to mount a second attempt, entering a crowded Republican primary that had already seen Senate leadership rally behind businessman Tim Sheehy. Former president Donald Trump also endorsed Sheehy. Rosendale's departure from the race came the same day that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated he would be "involved" in the primary to Sheehy's benefit.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says he will be involved in the Senate Republican primary in Montana to help businessman Tim Sheehy, who now faces a challenge from Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), win the GOP the nomination. Rosendale, who ran and lost against incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in 2018, announced his candidacy last week, even though former President Trump has endorsed Sheehy and Senate Republican leaders in Washington view Sheehy as a better candidate for the general election. “We will be involved in the Montana primary,” McConnell told The Hill during an interview in his Capitol office, confirming...

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Malmstrom Air Force Base is on lockdown in response to an active shooter alert on base. Schools east and south of the river in shelter in place. The Cascade County Sheriff's Office says that this is an ongoing investigation and they cannot release any information at this time./

The entry of Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) into Montana’s Senate race is threatening the party with a bitter and bruising primary ahead of a general election seen as central to its effort to regain control of the upper chamber in November. Rosendale, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, officially filed to enter the GOP race Friday, jumping in alongside businessman Tim Sheehy, who is seen by many members of party leadership as the stronger candidate. Both men are looking to take on Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for reelection this year....

Former President Donald Trump tipped the scales in the U.S. Senate race in Montana on Friday, endorsing retired U.S. Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy on the same day that Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) announced that he was getting in the race. “I LOVE MONTANA! Tim Sheehy is an American Hero and highly successful Businessman from the Great State of Montana,” Trump posted on social media. “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! I also respect Matt...

After considerable speculation, Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) has decided that he will indeed challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, hoping for a rematch of 2018 when Tester beat Rosendale by 3.5 points. Montana is considered one of the top pick-up seats for Republicans in 2024, if not the top pick-up, along with the Ohio Senate race. Not only are the stakes high for this must-win race, but Rosendale's candidacy also creates a messy situation for Senate Republicans, including and especially National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines, who is also from Montana. Daines has already endorsed Tim Sheehy for the...

Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana is expected to announce a campaign for Senate as soon as this weekend, torching plans from top Republican officials to avoid a bruising primary battle in a state that many in the party view as their best chance to win back control of the chamber. Mr. Rosendale, an anti-abortion Republican agitator who voted to overturn the 2020 election, plans to formalize his campaign as Montana Republicans gather for their winter meetings this weekend in Helena, according to three people familiar with the deliberations who insisted on anonymity to discuss unannounced plans. A spokesman for Mr....