(Reuters) – Republican Tim Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and businessman, was elected to the U.S. Senate in Montana, Edison Research projected on Wednesday, unseating 18-year incumbent Jon Tester who was the last remaining Democrat holding a statewide office there.
The seat was a top target for the Republican Party as it sought to reverse Democrats’ thin majority in the deeply divided chamber, and Sheehy’s campaign focused on linking Tester to national Democrats on issues including the surge of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sheehy was born and raised in Minnesota and moved to Montana about a decade ago, founding a company that provides aerial firefighting services. He fended off campaign attacks by Tester who tried to cast him as an outsider who brought his wealth to Montana — contributing to a run-up in housing costs in the state.
Among Sheehy’s campaign promises were rolling back environmental regulations that he said prevented the U.S. from being energy independent — despite record oil production during Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency. He also called for completing Trump’s border wall, saying that would end illegal immigration.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)
