Politico reports that Rep. Matt Rosendale is ruining the GOP's strategy to beat Sen. Jon Tester in Montana by making plans to run in the Republican primary:
GOP leaders launched a concerted campaign to box out Rosendale and clear the path for Tim Sheehy, a Navy SEAL-turned-business executive who launched a Senate bid in June. Their fear was that Rosendale would prevail in a primary, given his statewide name recognition, but flub a general election against Tester — just as he did in 2018. With a narrow deficit in the Senate, winning in Montana is a linchpin in the party’s broader 2024 strategy.
Ha ha ha. Right-wing loons are never deterred and never care whether party leaders oppose them or not. Rosendale will probably pick up a Trump endorsement and never look back.
As for the general election against Tester, Rosendale has a chance. He only lost to Tester by a few points in 2018, which was a very strong year for Democrats. With any luck, though, he'll continue the proud Republican tradition of blowing winnable elections by nominating MAGA-style nutballs who can't win a general election even in a deep red state.
It's true. The GOP raided the homeless shelters for candidates in the 2022 midterms, causing the vaunted red wave to turn into a trickle.
Well, the obvious conclusion is that the state party needs to cheat harder.