A Montana rancher running for Congress may have left his roots behind but not his heavy Maryland accent.
Matt Rosendale is a Republican state senator from Glendive, Montana who recently announced his candidacy for the state's at-large House seat. In a campaign video released today, Rosendale discusses individual liberty and freedom as images of the Montana landscape flicker across the screen. It all seems familiar for a Republican from the Mountain West, save for his voice. The images and rhetoric may be Montana but the accent is all Maryland.
Rosendale was born in Baltimore and raised on Maryland's Eastern Shore and it shows in every syllable he utters, particularly those which use the letter O. The result is somewhat jarring. After all, he may look like a Montana Republican, talk like a Montana Republican but he sounds like someone from "Balmer, Merlin." One almost expects him to start addressing voters as "hon" or announce that his favorite beer is Natty Boh. Although Rosendale has been successful running for local office, his distinctive accent may not be as endearing statewide. After all, Maryland is a long way from Montana.
The House seat that Rosendale is running for is open. The incumbent, first term Republican Steve Daines, is expected to announce his campaign for U.S. Senate in the coming weeks. Prior to Daines' decision, Rosendale had previously indicated that he was seeking "whatever [office] Steve Daines isn't running for."
