HELENA — There was another shakeup in Montana’s political landscape on Wednesday, as U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale announced his plans to run for another term in the House.
This decision comes two weeks after he ended his campaign for U.S. Senate, with a large number of candidates already announcing their intentions to run for his seat.
Rosendale, a Republican, stated that after suspending his Senate run, he received overwhelming support from people across the state, which convinced him to seek re-election.
“After discussing with my family, we have decided to move forward with this effort,” he said. “So, we’re back in the House race.”
Although Rosendale had not officially updated his filing with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office as of Wednesday afternoon, he mentioned that he planned to do so very soon.
This would be Rosendale’s third term in the House, where he represented Montana at large in his first term and then the state’s eastern congressional district in his second term. He had shown interest in running for Senate for a while and officially filed for the race earlier this month.
However, his campaign was short-lived as former President Donald Trump endorsed Gallatin County businessman and Navy veteran Tim Sheehy for the GOP nomination just hours after Rosendale entered the race. This led Rosendale to suspend his Senate campaign after only six days, citing an “uphill battle.”
Rosendale also announced his endorsement of Sheehy in the Senate race, despite previous criticisms regarding Sheehy’s lack of legislative experience and support from Senate GOP leadership.
Trump stated in his social media post endorsing Sheehy that he would endorse Rosendale if he decided to run for the House again.
Rosendale mentioned that he expects to receive endorsements from Trump and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who is leading the Senate Republican campaign arm and had expressed opposition to Rosendale’s Senate run.
He emphasized the importance of unity within the Republican Party to defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, a race that could determine the Senate majority.
Rosendale’s announcement coincided with a report from Politico stating that his staff had threatened legal action against former Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota, Heidi Heitkamp, for repeating a rumor about an alleged affair involving Rosendale.
Regarding this, Rosendale clarified that the rumors were false and defamatory, and he expressed disappointment in the level of mudslinging in politics.
As of Wednesday morning, at least nine Republicans had announced their candidacy for the eastern district House seat:
- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen
- Billings pharmacist Kyle Austin
- State Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Ken Bogner
- State Auditor Troy Downing
- Former state Sen. Ric Holden
- Former state Rep. Joel Krautter
- Former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg
- Former state Sen. Ed Walker
- Former DEA state supervisor Stacy Zinn
Rosendale mentioned that he had informed all the candidates about his decision and expected some to withdraw in the coming days. Krautter and Austin indicated they would remain in the race regardless of Rosendale’s decision, while Zinn stated she would step back if Rosendale refiled.
Three Democrats have also filed campaign finance paperwork for the eastern district: Kevin Hamm, Ming Cabrera, and Steve Held.
The final list of candidates won’t be confirmed until the filing deadline on March 11, which is also the last day for candidates to withdraw from the ballot.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. Original post below:
Republican Matt Rosendale officially announced Wednesday his campaign for reelection to Montana’s second congressional district.
The two-term U.S. Representative made the announcement on social media saying: “I have always said I will serve where the people of Montana feel I can be most effective, and serving Montana in Congress has truly been the honor and privilege of a lifetime.”
Rosendale enters a crowded Republican field for the seat he currently holds, with several of the current candidates telling MTN previously they would continue to seek the nomination even if Rosendale reentered the race. At least nine Republican candidates had filed or announced plans to file as of Wednesday morning. Those candidates include former U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, State Auditor Troy Downing, attorney and former state legislator Joel Krautter, farmer and former state legislator Ric Holden, State Sen. Ken Bogner, State Sen. Ed Walker and former DEA official Stacy Zinn. Zinn had said she would leave the race if Rosendale ran for it again.
The announcement to run for reelection comes just shy of two weeks since Rosendale dropped out of the U.S. Senate race. After months of speculation he would try to challenge incumbent Democrat Jon Tester for the Senate seat, Rosendale exited the race after six days. The congressman cited former President Trump’s endorsement of Bozeman businessman and U.S. Navy veteran Tim Sheehy as his primary reason for withdrawing.
On Saturday, an amended statement of candidacy form was filed for Rosendale with the Federal Election Commission.
The deadline for anyone to file for the ballot is March 11.
