Former Navy SEAL says Dems meddling in his Senate race ‘to distract Montana voters’ from ‘two-faced’ opponent

FIRST ON FOX: A former Navy SEAL running for Senate suggested Democrats are meddling in his race “to distract Montana voters from Jon Tester’s record.” 

There are only a handful of Senate races in 2024 that will decide which party claims control of the chamber in 2024 – and all eyes are on Montana.

With the majority on the line, Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC launched The Last Best Place PAC, a shadowy group that recently began spending millions in ads across Montana targeting Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.

Sheehy, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, suggested the ads attacking him are a diversion from Sen. Jon Tester’s record as he seeks re-election in a red state.

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Republican Montana Senate candidate and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. (Tim Sheehy For Montana)

“The Democrats in Montana know that on the issues Jon Tester loses across the board. Immigration, economy, energy. It’s no question Jon Tester is a rubber stamp for all of Joe Biden’s policies, and if he runs on the issues, they’re going to lose to me. And they know that,” Sheehy told Fox. 

The Republican added that he expects Democrats are going to continue spending millions on advertisements against him in the coming months.

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“They’re trying to make this race not about the issues. They’re trying to confuse the Montana voters and obfuscate what Tester really stands for. If they have to talk about Jon Tester’s voting record, they lose,” the former Navy SEAL said. “One million dollars a week they’re going to spend trying to attack my character, my family, my businesses, because they have to distract Montana voters from Jon Tester record.”

Senate Majority PAC disagreed with Sheehy’s response in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Last Best Place PAC, a group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., began running ads in Montana attacking Tim Sheehy. (J. Scott Applewhite)

“Tim Sheehy may think it’s a ‘distraction’ for Montanans to learn that he has shady ties to China, did business in the Caymans, and built his company off government contracts, but voters certainly don’t,” Sarah Guggenheimer, Senate Majority PAC spokesperson, told Fox. “And while Mitch McConnell’s prized candidate spends his time whining about Montanans learning the truth, Jon Tester continues to put hardworking families in his state first – just like he has his entire career.” 

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., is considering jumping into the GOP primary race, making several recent indications of a run, but there has been no official announcement.

When asked about a potential primary challenger, Sheehy said that he is “focused on Jon Tester.”

“I’m focused on gaining control of the Senate for conservatives, so we can return common sense policy to D.C,” the Republican said. “We have to reform both parties. We’ve got a dysfunctional Congress right now in both houses. We need a new generation of leadership in both houses, and it’s about time we start getting things done.”

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 12: Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) questions U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill September 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (Drew Angerer)

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With the backing of Sen. Steven Daines, R-Mont., Sheehy highlighted that he’s “in this because I care about the future of this country, and I want to make sure that our children’s future is better than our own.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Tester campaign.