Tim Sheehy’s victory in Montana’s GOP primary Tuesday means national Republicans are dependent on a candidate with little political experience but a lot of money to win a key race for majority control of the Senate.
That’s by design — and it’s also true in other critical Senate races this year.
In a calculated risk, Republican officials and allies of Donald Trump have rallied behind Senate candidates who — like Sheehy — have never held elected office but can help fund a campaign through their own personal wealth. In addition to Sheehy, who received a key endorsement from Trump that helped clear his path to the nomination, national Republicans backed Senate candidates like Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, both of whom are rich and politically inexperienced.