After months of being rumored to be the GOP’s next big recruit Tim Sheehy announced Tuesday his bid to challenge Democrat Jon Tester for his Montana seat in the U.S. Senate. “From inflation to our border to our deficit, America is ready for change. And I think it’s time for a new generation of leaders to step up,” Sheehy told Fox News. His announcement drew the ire of Tester and Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale, who has reportedly floated his own run for the seat. Both criticized Sheehy’s support from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But Sheehy’s portrayal as a political outsider—he’s the CEO of an arial services company—echoes that of many new-age prospective Republican leaders as of late. The former Navy SEAL said in his announcement release he’d “bring a new generation of strong conservative leadership and common-sense solutions to fix our nation’s problems. The Purple Heart recipient was infamously the lone survivor in a 2019 plane crash that killed his flight instructor and injured a 17-year-old girl whose house was struck by the aircraft. Sheehy was sued for negligence by the girl’s family after the crash, The Daily Beast reported.
