Another Republican may soon enter the race for the Montana House seat Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) is preparing to vacate.
Former Montana Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg is considering a run for the 2nd Congressional District if Rosendale launches a campaign to defeat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in November. Rehberg, who left the House to run against Tester himself, is now contemplating a return to national politics after leaving in 2012.
Since his departure from the House, Rehberg has worked as a lobbyist and opened several fast-food franchises in the Treasure State. He told Politico that he did not plan on entering the House race for the 2nd District until he heard allies of his were testing his name in a poll for the seat.
“I got kind of emotional about it on Friday night and started thinking and started getting phone calls and people saying, ‘You know, we really think that maybe you have a lot to offer us,’” Rehberg said. “I haven’t made the decision. But maybe I could do this and go back and make a difference.”
Rehberg said the polls are encouraging. He has until March 11 to file for the Republican primary, and if he enters, he will face fierce competition. State Auditor Troy Downing, Republican state Senate President Pro Tem Ken Bogner, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, and former Republican state Sen. Ric Holden are among those who have launched campaigns to take over Rosendale’s seat.
There is no set deadline for Rehberg to enter the race, he said, stating that inflation and immigration, two of Republicans’ most popular issues to campaign on, are driving his interest to come back to the House. He also said he is undeterred by recent chaos and infighting among House Republicans.
“I’ve been surrounded by a lot of controversy over the years. It wasn’t easy being in the fast food business during COVID,” he said when asked why he wanted to return to Congress. “I just want to be helpful in any way I possibly can.”
Though Rehberg would be the sole candidate with national congressional experience, he would enter the race with a losing track record. He served in the House beginning in 2000, but Rehberg ran unsuccessfully against Tester in 2012 and lost another Senate race in 1996.
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Rosendale is eyeing to launch his campaign to challenge Tester before the March filing deadline and as soon as the last two weeks of February. However, this move worries national Republicans, as the party already has rallied behind Tim Sheehy and views Rosendale as a potential liability, considering the House Republican lost to Tester in 2018.
Sheehy has received significant endorsements from major GOP donors and organizations, including Concerned Veterans for America Action and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Montana Republicans hope to flip Tester’s seat to regain control of the Senate, seeing Montana’s increasing trend to the right as a prime pickup opportunity.
