A Democratic super PAC, which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, is behind a shadowy group buying ads boosting potential Republican Senate candidate Rep. Matt Rosendale, who is mulling a Senate bid to challenge conservative firebrand Tim Sheehy.
In 2022, Democrats spent more than $40 million to boost Republican candidates ahead of their state’s primary in the hopes that they would win and be the more beatable candidate in the general election – and in some cases the strategy actually proved successful.
As Democrats grip onto their slim Senate majority in 2024, they are honing in on the Montana Senate race, which sees Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., attempting to hold onto the only statewide blue seat in the state.
A Democrat-tied Facebook page, under the name “Treasure State Truths,” has already bought several ads in the Montana Senate primary race – bashing Sheehy, while simultaneously boosting his potential GOP opponent Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
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Republican Montana Senate candidate and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. (Tim Sheehy For Montana)
Their page shows ads running from December 13 that attempt to paint Navy SEAL Sheehy in a negative light by writing that voters “can’t trust” him, while other ads link to articles praising Rosendale for his pro-life advocacy.
The group is managed by Gambit Strategies LLC, a Washington D.C. based digital marketing group that works to “efficiently persuade” voters in favor of the Democrat party and Democrat candidates nationwide. According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website, the firm received millions of dollars from Biden’s re-election campaign last year in addition to six-figure payments from several Democratic campaigns dating back to 2021.
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“No one has overseen more spending on digital persuasion, mobilization, and issue advocacy programs than us in the Democratic Party since 2016,” the Gambit Strategies homepage reads. “That’s why we specialize in running digital campaigns that effectively and efficiently persuade and mobilize your audience by defining candidates, causes, and issues.”
Montana Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale is considering running for the Montana Senate in 2024. (William Campbell)
Another mysterious group, the Last Best Place PAC, has already spent millions of dollars on several ads against Sheehy, a signal his rising candidacy could be detrimental to the Democrats’ majority if he becomes the GOP nominee in 2024.
The Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Schumer, confirmed to Fox News Digital that they are the group behind the Last Best Place PAC targeting Sheehy.
According to AdImpact, an ad intel website, Last Best Place PAC is planning to spend over $5 million attacking Sheehy in the race to unseat Tester.
“This confirmed what we knew all along that Chuck Schumer is spending millions of dollars interfering in Montana’s election to tear down combat veteran Tim Sheehy because they know he’s a strong conservative who will win in November, and they want the weakest candidate in this race who will give Two-Faced Tester another victory in November,” a spokesperson for Sheehy told Fox News Digital. “The career politicians back in DC are terrified of conservative outsider Tim Sheehy because he’s going to stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to drain the swamp, save our country, and put America and Montana First!”
Democrat Sen. Jon Tester is seeking a third term in the Montana Senate in 2024. (Drew Angerer)
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Sheehy has gained national attention after his campaign gained various prominent endorsements, including from all of Montana’s top leadership – Sen. Steve Daines, Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont.
The stakes were recently heightened last month after the Cook Report, an “independent, non-partisan” election forecaster, shifted the race from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss-Up.”
Rosendale has not officially launched a bid for the Senate, but has confirmed several times that he is highly considering jumping into the race.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.