Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) has abruptly decided to withdraw his candidacy for the United States Senate.

The lawmaker cited Donald Trump's endorsement of another candidate as the reason for his decision. The announcement was made less than a week after his campaign was made official, as The Daily Beast reported.

“Instead of one of those phony statements from politicians, here’s my statement on why I’m withdrawing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate,” Rosendale said in a statement posted to his Facebook page.

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

The Campaign Announcement

Rosendale had been teasing an entry into the contest for months, but it appears he delayed making a decision for too long, according to reports from outlets including Politico, which first broke the news.

Hours after declining to endorse Trump in a radio interview on October 2023, he recanted his stance on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

GOP decision-makers had already formed an opinion prior to his confirmation of his candidacy last Friday; they supported former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy in his challenge to Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana). Tester defeated Rosendale in 2018.

Trump publicly endorsed Sheehy in public mere hours after Rosendale's declaration. Additionally, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has endorsed Sheehy.

Rosendale's Statement

Rosendale said in a statement to The Washington Times that Trump’s endorsement of Sheehy, which came just hours after he announced his candidacy last Friday, factored heavily into the decision.

“I have long been a supporter of the president and remain so,” Rosendale said. “But I have been forced to calculate what my chances of success would be with Trump supporting my opponent.”

He said, “This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington.

"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.”

His withdrawal from the campaign provides Sheehy, an aerospace magnate, with an expansive opportunity to secure the Republican nomination in his bid to dethrone longtime Democratic Tester.

“By my calculations, with Trump endorsing my opponent and the lack of resources, the hill was just too steep,” Rosendale said, adding that he had conferred with Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.