Republican Tim Sheehy has defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, NBC News projects, deepening the GOP’s projected Senate majority after the party's wins in West Virginia and Ohio.
Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, defeated the three-term senator by consolidating Republican voters in a state that has turned a deeper shade of red in recent years.
Sheehy and his allies cast Tester as a liberal Democrat who votes with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, undercutting the incumbent’s reputation as a centrist.
But Democrats were cautiously optimistic that Montana voters would look at the presidential race and the Senate race through different lenses.
While Sheehy had said he would respect Montana voters’ decision on the issue, he appeared open to supporting federal action on abortion, which Democrats exploited on the campaign trail and on the airwaves.
Persons:
Tim Sheehy, Democratic Sen, Jon Tester, Sheehy, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Tester
Organizations:
Democratic, NBC News, Navy, Republican, Republicans, Senate
Locations:
Montana, West Virginia, Ohio, state’s