(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Highly-decorated veteran Tim Sheehy, a Republican, officially launched his 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Montana on Tuesday, offering “a new generation of leadership” to unseat three-term Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reclaiming the red-leaning state from the left’s grip.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, stated that America needed a change in leadership. The veteran said he learned valuable lessons about leadership from being in a foxhole in Afghanistan and “when the chips are down there is really only one political party – and that’s American,” he told the news outlet regarding the Biden administration.
Sheehy was honored with the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and the Purple Heart Medal before getting involved in politics. He has successfully run several businesses, in addition to sharing a happy life with his wife, Carmen, who is a Marine veteran.
“Jon Tester has been in office for nearly a quarter of a century and he’s lost sight of our Montana values. He’s supporting Biden and Schumer’s liberal agenda,” said Sheehy, who currently has the GOP field to himself.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Montana Republican who ran for the seat and lost in 2018, is also eyeing a bid to oust Tester but hasn’t made an officials announcement, according to Politico.
Tester is not faring well this news cycle, making his seat more vulnerable to the GOP.
A recent report by the Associated Press revealed Tester was taking contributions from lobbyists and corporate executives while also being instrumental in directing billions of dollars through government spending packages. This came as a surprising shift for Tester, who was previously against accepting such contributions.
A story in Politico took things one step further, reporting Tester allowed lobbyists to have an even greater impact on his legislative agenda.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont., heralded Sheehy’s decision but he did not endorse him. “Tim Sheehy is a decorated veteran, successful businessman, and a great Montanan. I could not be happier that he has decided to enter the Montana Senate race,” Daines said in a recent statement.
Tester managed to win multiple elections since 2006 — even with Donald Trump winning the state by a large margin in 2020. The Democrat Party currently holds a slim 51-49 Senate majority going into next year’s election.
Montana’s Senate seat was viewed as vulnerable by the GOP, alongside other states with Democrat-held seats such as West Virginia, Ohio, Arizona and Wisconsin.
“From inflation to our border to our deficit, America is ready for change. And I think it’s time for a new generation of leaders to step up,” Sheehy told Fox News. “Leaders who understand servant leadership, which is putting the mission before yourself, and leaders who understand how to get results.”
