Another top Republican official is supporting Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, adding more intrigue to a key race in the GOP’s bid to regain control of the chamber.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, Montana Republican, endorsed Mr. Sheehy Wednesday in the fellow Navy SEAL’s bid to unseat Sen. Jon Tester, Montana’s only Democrat holding statewide office.
Mr. Zinke called his fellow Republican “the next generation of leadership.”
“He served this country, his wife is a Marine, he understands sacrifice and he also understands success,” Mr. Zinke told Fox News.
Mr. Zinke returned to Congress this year after serving as President Trump’s interior secretary.
He told The Washington Times it’s time for Mr. Tester to retire, adding that it’s also crucial for Republicans to keep his seat in the House so the party can maintain control of the chamber’s power of the purse.
Mr. Zinke lauded Mr. Sheehy’s leadership in the military and business. The fellow former Navy SEAL pinned the Purple Heart on Mr. Sheehy in 2015.
“I’m duty, honor, country. I’m red, white and blue,” Mr. Zinke told Fox News. “And we need a red, white and blue moment, that when you say you support the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, I prefer those who have shown it in battle, because I think that’s what it’s going to take.”
Mr. Zinke’s support follows on the heels of a parade of endorsements from Montana’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
Mr. Sheehy was a top recruit in National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman and Montana Sen. Steve Daines’ draft class of candidates selected to shore up a GOP majority in the Senate.
Mr. Sheehy’s relatively new Montana roots and business dealings are points that the Montana Democratic Party have targeted.
The party highlighted reporting from Bloomberg that showed Mr. Sheehy’s company, Bridger Aerospace, makes most of its money from contracts with the federal government, which could pose future conflict-of-interest issues for the Senate candidate.
Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company, has raked in $86.7 million in federal contract awards since the company’s founding in 2014. The company told Bloomberg that Mr. Sheehy, who was given a new term on Bridger Aerospace’s board of directors until 2026, would remain CEO while running for office.
A spokesperson for Mr. Sheehy told The Times that the candidate would fully comply with Senate ethics rules if elected, which would include “stepping down as CEO and board member” of Bridger Aerospace.
The list of endorsements, and backing from GOP leadership, could ward off a possible primary challenge from another Montana Republican, Rep. Matt Rosendale.
Speculation over whether Mr. Rosendale will run for the Senate has swirled for some time, but no official announcement has been made by the two-term congressman. The Times reached out to Mr. Rosendale’s campaign spokesperson.
Jessi Bennion, a political science professor at Montana State University, said endorsements can signal the importance of a race. They can also act as a sign to dissuade others, like Mr. Rosendale, from running.
The main issue Mrs. Bennion sees is that Mr. Sheehy has a huge name identification deficit in Montana.
“No one knows him, but the base knows Rosendale and seems [to] like him,” she said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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