Representative Matt Rosendale (R-Montana) declared his withdrawal from the U.S. Senate election in his home state on Thursday, mere days after the official launch of his campaign.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed retired U.S. Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy for the seat on the same day that Rosendale announced his candidacy.
This precipitated Rosendale’s astonishing reversal.
“Instead of one of those phony statements from politicians, here’s my statement on why I’m withdrawing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate. As everyone knows, I have planned to run for the U.S. Senate and to win both the primary and the general election. However, the day I announced, President Trump then announced that he was endorsing a different candidate.” Rosendale announced in a statement
“I have long been a supporter of the president, and remain so. But I have been forced to calculate what my chances of success would be with Trump supporting my opponent. This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington. But I felt like I could beat them, as the voters do not agree with them choosing who would be the next U.S. Senator from Montana.” he continued.
— Matt Rosendale (@MattForMontana) February 16, 2024
Rosendale stated that he examined his calculations and determined that Trump’s support for Sheehy would deprive him of the necessary resources to prevail in a fierce primary contest for the Republican nomination.
He stated that after concluding that the “hill” was too steep, he discussed the matter with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), and the two of them concurred that his withdrawal would be most advantageous for the party’s prospects of regaining control of the U.S. Senate.
[READ MORE: New Poll Shows Only One Third Of Americans Trust Biden’s Mental Acuity]
About Post Author
