Matt Rosendale drops out of Montana Senate race after less than a week

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., has ended his Senate campaign less than a week after he launched it.

“As everyone knows, I have planned to run for the U.S. Senate and to win both the primary and the general election,” Rosendale said in a statement. “However, the day I announced, President Trump then announced that he was endorsing a different candidate.”

Politico first reported on Rosendale’s decision to drop out.

Trump is backing political newcomer Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and aerospace entrepreneur who also has been endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Rosendale’s decision is a win for the NRSC, which had been hoping to avoid a messy and expensive primary in a state where the party hopes to unseat longtime Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. Rosendale lost to Tester in 2018.

In his statement, Rosendale said he had spoken with Montana’s other senator, Steve Daines, who chairs the NRSC, “and we both agree that this is the best path forward for Republicans to regain the majority in the U.S. Senate.”

“This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against [Senate GOP Leader] Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington,” Rosendale said. “But I felt like I could beat them, as the voters do not agree with them choosing who would be the next U.S. Senator from Montana.”

“However,” Rosendale added, “by my calculations, with Trump endorsing my opponent and the lack of resources, the hill was just too steep.”

Asked earlier Thursday about Trump's endorsement of Sheehy, before he announced he was dropping out, Rosendale said, “I can certainly say I would rather it go the other way.”

Rosendale’s candidacy had caused tensions in Trump world, NBC News reported last week.