Republican state auditor Matt Rosendale defeated a list of GOP candidates in Tuesday night’s Montana Senate primary and will now take on Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in the general election.
With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Rosendale defeated four Republican candidates with 34 percent of the vote, according to The Associated Press. Former district judge Russ Fagg came in a close second place with 29 percent. Rosendale has been endorsed by Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, as well as the conservative organization Club for Growth, Politico reported.
Rosendale ran as a pro-Trump candidate, and said in an ad that he would “stand with President Trump,” and “we’ll get tough and we’ll build that wall.”
THANK YOU, Montana! I could not have won this Primary Election without ALL of you. Now we must turn our focus to DEFEATING @JonTester and bringing Conservative leadership back to Washington! #mtsen #mtpol #MAGA pic.twitter.com/RMlD09A8YV
— Matt Rosendale (@MattForMontana) June 6, 2018
“The Battle of the Flat-Tops has finally begun and I have no doubt the people of Montana are going to send Jon Tester packing because he has become just another politician who makes empty promises, obstructs President Trump’s agenda, and doesn’t uphold our Montana values,” Rosendale said in an emailed statement. “I’m not running to bring home the bacon – I’m running to slaughter the hog of big government. I’m in this race to get the government off our backs and to protect our Montana way of life. I’ll fight for more freedom, prosperity, and liberty for all Montanans,” he continued.
Tester, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, responded to the results in a tweet: “The general election is here, which means it’s go-time in MT. I need you right there w/ me burning shoe leather & talking to Montanans about this critical race.” (RELATED: President Trump Calls For Tester’s Resignation Over Admiral Jackson)
The general election is here, which means it’s go-time in MT. I need you right there w/ me burning shoe leather & talking to Montanans about this critical race. Will you join us this weekend for our Weekend of Action? Visit https://t.co/YC5ReusnK5 to get involved. #mtpol #mtsen pic.twitter.com/7vbH2icSe3
— Jon Tester (@jontester) June 6, 2018
Rosendale will now take on Tester in the Nov. 6 election in an election Republicans believe could lead to another seat in the Senate.
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