Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy unseats three-term Sen. Jon Tester in the Montana Senate

Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has beaten three-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester in Montana’s Senate race, flipping a key race as Republicans set to take back control of the SenateThe Associated Press Projects.

His victory increases the Republican majority in the Senate to at least 52, according to Associated Press projections.

All eyes were on the Big Sky State’s competitive Senate race, where three-term Senator Tester, the only statewide Democrat elected in Montana, faced former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy.

Early in the cycle, the Montana race was considered one of the Republicans’ best pickup opportunities and one of the Democrats’ most vulnerable seats in the 2024 cycle.

Sheehy launched his Senate bid exclusively with Fox News Digital in June 2023, calling for “a new generation of leaders to step up” in Congress in his bid to oust the red state Democrat.

MONTANA SENATE RACE MAY BE GOP’S BEST BET TO TIP THE BALANCE OF POWER

Late. Jon Tester, left, and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. (Getty Images/Sheehy for the Senate)

The Navy SEAL quickly received support from prominent GOP members after announcing his candidacy, including Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and John Barrasso of Wyoming.

Before entering the political scene, Sheehy served in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region, receiving the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and a Purple Heart. In addition to owning several businesses, the veteran shares four children with his Marine veteran wife, Carmen Sheehy.

MONTANA MAY RULE THE SENATE

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Sheehy, whom he described as an “American hero,” in February after Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale launched a short-lived bid for the seat.

US Senate candidate from Montana Tim Sheehy speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

Tester, a former school teacher, was first elected to the Montana Senate in 2006. The Democrat owns a family farm in Big Sandy, where he lives with his wife, Sharla.

Tester has taken a more moderate stance on issues during his time in the Senate, openly breaking with the Biden-Harris administration on several issues over the years. The Democrat withheld an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris after she became the party’s nominee.

The tester has been rousing Sheehy throughout the election cycle, but the latest poll leading up to Election Day showed the Republican candidate leading the race.

Just two months before Election Day, two top political handicappers swung the Senate race in Sheehy’s favor.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester prepares to debate GOP challenger Tim Sheehy on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian)

The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan poll handicapper, recently moved the race from “toss up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s crystal ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race to “lean Republican.”

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Democrats defended 23 Senate seats this cycle, more than double the number of Republicans defending 10 seats in the chamber.