Trump-Backed Republican Accused of Lying About Military Record Easily Defeats Democrat in Critical Senate Race

Republican Senate challenger Tim Sheehy won his race against incumbent Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, expanding the recently earned Republican hold on the upper house of Congress.

Sheehy scored 53% of the vote, a whopping 8 point lead ahead of the 45.2% earned by Tester, a three-term incumbent, reported USA Today.

Incumbent Sen. Jon Tester won his seat in three consecutive elections: 2006, 2012 and 2018. Tester, who is a Democrat, was able to win the hearts (and votes) of his state by demonstrating his beliefs in moderate policies. However, Montana is considered to be a deep-red state in presidential elections, with former President Donald Trump winning the state by margins of 20.4 and 16.4 points in 2016 and 2020 respectively.

Sheehy, who has lived in the state since 2014, was backed by the former President during his campaign. As the election reached its final stages, Democrats called attention to certain aspects of Sheehy's military career that seemingly did not add up.

Sheehy previously stated that he had been discharged from the military due to injuries he sustained in active duty. However, his discharge paperwork made no mention of such an ailment, prompting calls from Democrats and even other Montana veterans for Sheehy to release his full medical records.

Furthermore, Sheehy was exposed by Glacier National Park Ranger Kim Peach for allegedly sustaining a bullet wound by accidentally shooting himself, and not in the line of duty when stationed in Afghanistan as he claimed.

The race between Tester and Sheehy was incredibly critical as Republicans coordinated taking control of the Senate by gaining a majority in the months leading up to the election. Tester's seat had been heavily targeted by Republicans in this election cycle, alongside other seats in Ohio and West Virginia which were also secured by Republicans, according to CNN.

"THANK YOU, MONTANA!!" said Sheehy in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "We The People made our voices heard, we completed our mission, and now we will secure our children's future and save America together!!"