Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy enters GOP race to unseat Sen. Jon Tester in Montana

Businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Montana that is considered a must-win for the GOP.

Mr. Sheehy, the CEO of Montana-based aerial firefighting company Bridger Aerospace, is the first Republican to enter the closely-watched race to take on longtime Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, who is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the upcoming election cycle. 

“I’ve proudly fought for our country to defend our freedoms, and I’m once again answering the call to serve,” Mr. Sheehy said. “I will fight to bring real leadership to Washington to save our country and protect our Montana way of life.”

Montana’s Senate race is one of three national races — the others are West Virginia and Ohio — with Democratic incumbents vying for survival in GOP-leaning states. Mr. Tester is the only Democrat in Montana to hold a statewide office. 

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines of Montana endorsed Mr. Sheehy’s bid for the seat that could clinch a GOP majority in the narrowly-split Senate.

“Tim Sheehy is a decorated veteran, successful businessman, and a great Montanan,” Mr. Daines said. “I could not be happier that he has decided to enter the Montana Senate race.”

Montana has long been considered a purple state by its voters, but the political winds shifted in recent years.

Montana State University political science professor Jessi Bennion said that voters in the state are becoming more “straight-ticket” voters, meaning that they make their decisions based on the letter next to a candidate’s name. 

Mrs. Bennion noted that Republicans now “win by large margins” in the state. 

Former President Donald Trump carried Montana in 2016 and 2020, the same year that Mr. Daines won a reelection bid against Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat. Montana voters also elected a Republican supermajority in the state legislature last year.

“Montana really can’t call itself a purple state anymore, that obviously benefits Sheehy,” Mrs. Bennion said. 

Mr. Sheehy accused Mr. Tester of “losing sight of Montana values” after having served in the Senate since 2006.

“Like any good politician, Jon talks one way but votes another. Montanans have had enough of these career politicians who are full of empty promises and are not representing our Montana values. It’s time for a new generation of leadership to rebuild America,” he said.

Montana Democrats wasted no time before criticizing Mr. Sheehy. Immediately following his announcement, the state Democratic Party jabbed him for being a relative newcomer to Montana. 

“Jon Tester has farm equipment that’s been in Montana longer than Tim Sheehy,” said Monica Robinson, senior communications advisor for the Montana Democratic Party. “The last thing Montanans want in a senator is an out-of-state transplant recruited by Mitch McConnell and DC lobbyists. The tough questions Tim Sheehy is facing are just the beginning.”

Mr. Sheehy, a Minnesota native, moved to Montana in 2014 after he retired from the Navy.

Out-of-staters have had success securing statewide offices in Montana in recent years. Gov. Greg Gianforte and Rep. Matt Rosendale, both Republicans from the East Coast, have won elections in the state. 

Mrs. Bennion said that if Mr. Sheehy were to win, it would be the “nail in the coffin” of the outsider trope. 

Before a possible fight with Mr. Tester, Mr. Sheehy must first secure the Republican nomination. 

Speculation is swirling about Mr, Rosendale getting into the race. He ran unsuccessfully against Mr. Tester in 2018 before winning a House seat.

A primary contest between Mr. Rosendale and Mr. Sheehy could be “brutal,” Mrs. Bennion said. 

Mr. Rosendale congratulated fellow Republicans “on getting their chosen candidate.”

“Now Washington has two candidates — Tim Sheehy and Jon Tester — who will protect the D.C. cartel,” Mr. Rosendale said in a post on social media. “Unfortunately for them, Montanans don’t take orders from Washington. I believe that Montanans are tired of business as usual and will reject the McConnell-Biden Establishment.”