On Friday, Representative Matt Rosendale announced that he would not seek reelection, citing a tumultuous bid for the U.S. Senate in Montana that led to a “death threat against” him and “false and defamatory rumors against me and my family.”
Rosendale, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, briefly entered the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate in a bid against Senator John Tester in November. However, he swiftly withdrew from the race after facing endorsements from Donald Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee for his opponent, former Navy SEAL and aerospace millionaire Tim Sheehy.
Facing criticism from various quarters on the right, including a scathing rebuke from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who labeled him a “grifter,” Rosendale found himself caught in a political maelstrom. Greene, in a January online post, accused Rosendale of disloyalty to former President Trump and questioned his motives for endorsing Trump.
I’m just fed up with back stabbers, liars, and grifters.
Matt Rosendale can not be trusted. He turned his back on Pres Trump and only endorsed him recently because Rosendale is planning to run for Senate AGAIN after already losing last time in the Senate race against John Tester.
I have the same conservative voting record as Matt Rosendale but he’s a grifter. He’s not loyal to the people who have supported him like Pres Trump. He walks around with a military style buzz cut just like John Tester to fool veterans but Rosendale and Tester never even served in the military, unlike Tim Sheehy who was a Navy Seal.
In his withdrawal statement, Rosendale explained the challenges he faced, stating, “Since that announcement, I have been forced to have law enforcement visit my children because of a death threat against me and false and defamatory rumors against me and my family. This has taken a serious toll on me, and my family.”
Expressing the impact on the election for Montana’s 2nd Congressional District, he added, “Additionally, it has caused a serious disruption to the election of the next representative for MT-02.” Rosendale emphasized that public service, for him, had always been about serving rather than seeking titles or positions of power. The ongoing attacks, however, made it impossible for him to concentrate on his work, prompting his decision to withdraw from the House race and refrain from seeking office.
