Trump-backed Navy SEAL veteran Tim Sheehy (R) has unseated three-term Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in Montana, beefing up the Republicans’ Senate majority in the next Congress.
The Associated Press called the race for Sheehy early Wednesday. As of 6:38 a.m. ET, Sheey garnered 53 percent of the vote to Tester’s 45 percent with 85 percent of the vote reported, per the New York Times.
Sheehy is a decorated combat veteran and business owner. He founded the aerial fire-fighting company Bridger Aerospace, which employs over 200 Montanans, and its sister company, Ascent Vision Technologies.
He earned President-Elect Donald Trump’s support in the Republican primary.
Trump wrote at the time:
Tim Sheehy is an American Hero and highly successful Businessman from the Great State of Montana. He is strongly supported by our incredible Chairman of the NRSC, Steve Daines, and many other patriotic Senators and Republicans who have endorsed our Campaign to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Sheehy thanked Trump in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News.
“Well, first of all, of course, it’s a great honor to have President Trump’s endorsement,” Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, said. “We’ve been supportive of him since even before the campaign started. We’ve been very vocal about our support of the America First policies and agenda, which he skillfully enacted during his time in the White House.”
Sheehy’s victory over the establishment Democrat adds to the GOP’s newly earned majority after Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) have won their races, Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) has won outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) seat in West Virginia, and Republican Bernie Moreno ousted Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in Ohio.
This gives Republicans a minimum of 52 seats in the 119th Congress, with more pickup opportunities available.
Republicans will look to further their majority in a number of other key Senate races for currently Democrat-held seats in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona. All of these races have yet to be called and are very in much play for Republican candidates.
