Republican Tim Sheehy wins U.S. Senate race for Montana

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Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. Micha

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Republican Tim Sheehy has won Montana’s Senate race, unseating incumbent Sen. Jon Tester and adding to the GOP majority in the U.S. Senate. 

Tester — a moderate and the chamber’s only working farmer — was considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats on the ballot nationwide.

Republicans took control of the Senate on Tuesday night with wins also in Ohio and West Virginia.

READ MORE: Senate balance of power: Republicans win majority

Who is Tim Sheehy? 

Sheehy, 37, ran an aerial firefighting company, Bridger Aerospace, prior to his run for Senate. 

Sheehy is also a former Navy SEAL and a former Park Service ranger. 

He is a Minnesota native and moved to Montana in 2014 to start a business and to raise a family. 

Sheehy’s views on the issues

Sheehy’s platform largely is in line with national Republican priorities such as securing the southern U.S. border, opposing gun control and reducing the government's role in providing health care.

Sheehy also wants to restrict America’s support in Ukraine, according to the Montana Free Press (MTFP). 

On abortion specifically, he’s said he was against the medical procedure with exceptions to save the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest.

Sheehy also supports term limits on lawmakers, saying there needs to be more accountability and less career politicians in Washington, he told the MTFP.

Sheehy on Trump

Sheehy had donated to rivals of former President Donald Trump in the past. But after receiving Trump’s endorsement in February, Sheehy has appeared to switch his stance on the former president and pledged to work with Trump should he get reelected. 

Released audio and bullet wound controversy  

Sheehy faced scrutiny during his campaign after recordings of him making remarks to his supporters about Native Americans being "drunk at 8 a.m." and throwing beer cans at him on the Crow Reservation were made public. 

Sheehy has yet to formally apologize but has since said his remarks were "insensitive," according to a report from The Hill. 

Montana has seven Indian reservations and almost 70,000 Native Americans, representing about 7% of its total population, according to U.S. Census data. It’s a voting block that’s long been considered Democratic-leaning, but Montana Republicans in recent years have courted tribal leaders hoping to gain their support in elections.

Sheehy was also wrapped up in claims that he was lying about a bullet wound that he said he got while fighting in Afghanistan. 

The claim came from former ranger Kim Peach which alleged that Sheehy in fact shot himself on a family trip in Glacier National Park.

The allegation was immediately dismissed by Sheehy and his allies as a smear campaign engineered by Democrats in a race that’s expected to help decide control of the Senate.

Attorneys for Sheehy’s campaign said Peach’s recent statements differ from the facts in a declaration submitted by the ranger after interviewing Sheehy in 2015.

"There is no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Sheehy discharged his firearm at Glacier National Park. Because it didn’t happen," attorneys Daniel Watkins and Dustin Pusch wrote.