Steve Daines

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not invite senator-elect Dave McCormick to Senate orientation this week, citing ballots that are uncounted in Pennsylvania.

'A sharper operation'

Senate Republicans will likely prioritize the confirmation of federal judges. leader McConnell, meanwhile, has vowed to not alter the filibuster.

'When Republicans have the resources to tell this story, we win'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated President-elect Trump and the leaders of his campaign for wins they were able to deliver on election night.

The pro-Trump businessman and Minnesota transplant cruised to victory Tuesday following a campaign that became embroiled in controversy.

Senate Republicans now have a 54- or even 55-seat majority within reach after an unexpectedly strong performance by former President Trump in swing states with competitive down-ballot races. Why it matters: Nothing is final, but coattails from Trump could give the next Senate GOP's leader their biggest majority in years. The extra seats could provide cushion against frequent detractors within the party like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.).It also means Democrats will have to work even harder to gain back a majority in 2026, despite being handed a much more favorable map in that cycle.Catch up quick: The GOP cinched a majority with Bernie Moreno's win in Ohio, ousting longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.A Trump victory in all three "blue wall" states could get GOP Senate candidates over the line in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Votes were still being counted as of early Wednesday morning, with races too close to call.Trump was also leading in Nevada, although GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown was considered a longshot. Between the lines: National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont) all cycle refused to publicly project winning more than a 51-seat majority in the Senate.GOP sources privately hoped for as many as 53 seats, if Trump had a good night. But as results poured in Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, GOP hopes rose.

With a new majority, Republicans will have an opportunity to extend Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and appoint more conservatives to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.

When tragedy strikes in a circus, the order goes out: “Send in the Clowns.”

This story is part of a series of state-by-state previews of the 2024 election.When Montana voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election, they’ll decide what may just be the nation’s marquee U.S. Senate race, and with it, perhaps which party will control the closely divided chamber in the next Congress. They’ll also vote on a high-profile ballot question on abortion, as well as less competitive races for president and governor.Democrats control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority. With Republicans all but certain to pick up retiring once-Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat in West Virginia, a GOP win in Montana would make it difficult for Democrats to keep their majority regardless of who wins the presidency.Democratic incumbent Jon Tester faces a tough reelection bid for a fourth term against Republican Tim Sheehy. As one of only two Senate Democrats running for reelection in a state Donald Trump won easily in 2020, Tester is a perennial target for Republicans. In his past three races, he won with between 49% and 50% of the vote.Tester has spent $71 million on the race as of the start of October, compared to about $11 million for Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL who has loaned his campaign $2.5 million. Outside groups have poured additional millions into the race.RELATED STORY: Montana GOP Senate nominee caught in another lie about military serviceMontana is also one of 10 states that will put a ballot question on abortion before voters in November. Officially known as “Constitutional Initiative No. 128,” the measure would enshrine a right to abortion before fetal viability in the state constitution.At the top of the ballot, the presidential race is far less competitive. The last Democrat to carry Montana in a presidential election was Bill Clinton in 1992, although Barack Obama came close in 2008. Trump won Montana with 57% of the vote in 2016 and 2020, and the Democratic ticket has not set foot in the state this year. Tester skipped the Democratic National Convention in August and has declined to endorse Harris, although Sheehy has tried to link the senator to his party's presidential nominee.In the race for governor, Republican incumbent Greg Gianforte faces Democrat Ryan Busse.

As Montana’s coal loses economic vitality, billions of tax dollars can fund renewable energy initiatives — if anyone wants them.

The Butte-Silver Bow Veterans Treatment Court is getting a $1 million federal grant to continue its programs.

Butte will get daily commercial flights to both Salt Lake City and Denver under a program that provides federal tax-dollar subsidies to provide the service.

BILLINGS, Mont. — During an October debate, Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy took a shot at his Democratic opponent, Sen. Jon Tester, for ” eating lobbyist steak ′′ while the Republican fought in Afghanistan.But Sheehy himself had a taste for red meat and lobbying, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press. He combined the two in pursuit of government contracts that allowed his aerial firefighting company to rapidly expand over the past decade.“I hope you enjoyed the steakhouse,” Sheehy wrote to Ryan Osmundson, the state Budget Director after a November 2021 meeting in Martinsdale, Montana. Sheehy went on to describe his company's aircraft as “ideal” for a dedicated, state-based fleet of planes to aggressively fight fires. There’s no indication the lobbying of Montana officials involved any wrongdoing by Bridger Aerospace or Sheehy.Sheehy’s bid to prevent Tester from winning a fourth term is widely seen as one of the GOP's best chances at reclaiming the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Republican's campaign has leaned heavily on his military record and business accomplishments while routinely criticizing Tester for being the top recipient of lobbyist cash in Congress.

BILLINGS, Mont. — During an October debate, Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy took a shot at his Democratic opponent, Sen. Jon Tester, for “eating lobbyist steak′′ while the Republican fought in Afghanistan. But Sheehy himself had a taste for red meat and lobbying, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press. He combined the [...]The post This Montana Senate Candidate Said His Opponent Ate ‘Lobbyist Steak.’ But He Lobbied—With Steak appeared first on GV Wire.

Montana Republican Tim Sheehy took a shot at incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester during a recent debate for “eating lobbyist steak” while Sheehy was fighting in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — Democrats are closing the gap in their uphill campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, with polls showing improvement for Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and national Democrats’ spending in the race a month ahead of Election Day.

How on earth can anyone consider voting for Tim Sheehy after reading the following quotes attributed to him at various fund-raising events?

"In his book released in 2020, Jon Tester wrote that he believes support for President Trump comes from a “gnarly root of racism in rural America”

As a Crow Nation tribal member and small business owner on the Crow Reservation, the last few years have certainly been tough.

The central clash in the pivotal Montana Senate race — and the fight for control of the Senate itself — was on full display Monday night as Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy faced off in a heated debate.

The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a big-dollar fundraising group affiliated with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), isn’t helping two of McConnell’s biggest critics in the Senate GOP conference — Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rick Scott (Fla.). This has prompted grumbling from conservatives who say McConnell has too much power over Senate Republican fundraising [...]

The late-cycle investment signals the party is taking Texas seriously — a shift from past cycles.

More than a dozen Republicans in the Senate are launching a push to block a "parole in place" policy introduced in June by the Biden administration.

'Money can’t buy you love'

I am a landowner in the Bull Mountains north of Billings.

Many of the highest-profile races are underway in Montana, New York, California and beyond, far from the presidential battleground states contested by Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign thinks its new get-out-the-vote strategy will serve as a silver bullet to capture key battleground states.

Senate Republican leaders are privately raising the alarm over the Democratic Party's fundraising advantage, and they're bracing for another cash infusion from the Harris-Walz presidential campaign into Senate races.Why it matters: "WE WILL LOSE WINNABLE RACES DUE TO A LACK OF RESOURCES," read one slide presented by National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to his fellow Republicans at a closed-door lunch on Tuesday. The slide notes the $10 million the Harris campaign transferred to the Democratic campaign arm last week.Driving the news: Daines' presentation was "clear-eyed" about the money gaps, according to a source familiar. The message was that if the imbalance isn't made up, Senate leaders would have to make hard decisions about where to allocate their resources. The lunch led to a slew of donations from senators, adding up to nearly $7 million, sources familiar with the total told Axios.More than half of that came from Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who committed a record-breaking $4 million single transfer. Thune's contribution comes as the race heats up between him and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to be the next GOP Senate leader.What they're saying: When asked about Harris' eye-popping fundraising and transfer down ballot, Thune told Axios, "When you get an infusion like that, particularly ... if they're hard dollars, which go a lot further ... it makes a difference.""We're paying attention to that, and I think it just means we've got to intensify our efforts."The big picture: McConnell has built out a massive fundraising infrastructure that has helped fuel GOP victories in the Senate.His successors' ability to carry on that work will be critical.

Crow Tribal Chairman Frank White Clay has broken his silence on U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s remarks, calling his statements “disparaging,” “highly unprofessional,” “deeply troubling” and “unacceptable.”

WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders on Tuesday commemorated 13 U.S. service members killed by a suicide bomber three years ago at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan, pausing for an hour the ongoing partisan blame-casting over the attack.

The race for control of Congress is as close as ever. Lawmakers are returning to Washington for a three-week legislative sprint, away from the campaign trail where races have become “trench warfare” and a seat-by-seat slog. Fewer than two dozen...

Montana Sen. Steve Daines came to Vegas with an ask: The chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm wants more money to turn the chamber red.

Republicans now have the advantage in Montana's Senate race, according to one political handicapper, as Democrat incumbent Sen. Jon Tester slips behind in polling.

Senate GOP campaign committee chair Steve Daines says the fundraising disparity is a concern as the Republicans work to win back the majority from the Democrats, but he predicts victory in November.

A Republican official said the party will suffer avoidable losses "unless something changes drastically"

'We will lose winnable seats'

The battle for the Senate is set to hit a crescendo in the coming weeks as campaigns reach another gear and voters increasingly tune in after Labor Day. Republicans have long been the favorite to win back the upper chamber, but Vice President Harris replacing President Biden has further scrambled the playing field for both [...]

College athletes at the University of Montana are reportedly being offered thousands of dollars to make videos "spreading the word" about Sen. Jon Tester, emails show.

'Their whole schtick is ticking off Donald Trump'

The fight for control of the narrowly divided Senate centers on two red states and a slew of presidential battlegrounds.

White defeated establishment candidate Joe Fraser by a 9.2 percent margin after receiving many top endorsements from populist Republicans

The Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, and Stephen Wolf, with additional contributions from the Daily Kos Elections team.Subscribe to The Downballot, our weekly podcast Embedded ContentLeading Off● Primary Night: We've entered the homestretch of the 2024 primary season, but as Jeff Singer details in our election night preview, there's still plenty to watch Tuesday in Wisconsin and Minnesota.Badger State Democrats have a competitive battle to decide who will take on freshman Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in an ancestrally blue southwestern Wisconsin seat that veered hard to the right after Donald Trump took over the GOP. This area, though, may not be lost to the Democrats. Van Orden only beat state Sen. Brad Pfaff 52-48 in 2022 after national Democrats canceled their ad reservations, while progressive Janet Protasiewicz decisively carried it months later in the officially nonpartisan state Supreme Court race.Van Orden is one of the last vulnerable House members anywhere in the nation who doesn't yet know the identity of his general election opponent. We'll all find out soon, though, if he'll be going up against businesswoman Rebecca Cooke, who took second to Pfaff in the last primary, or state Rep. Katrina Shankland. House Majority PAC has reserved millions in ad time to support whichever Democrat wins on Tuesday.There's more to see in the Upper Midwest on Tuesday. One Wisconsin Republican is about to find out if voters will nominate him after Trump himself told him to drop out, while the state GOP is hoping voters will approve two state constitutional amendments that would strip Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of key powers.Over in Minnesota, we're going to find out if Republicans are willing to gift the thumbs up to a far-right conspiracy theorist who, among other things, shared a map of public drinking fountains by writing, "Crime in Minneapolis...Out of control." You can find more on these races, and more, in Singer's preview.We'll be liveblogging the results at Daily Kos Elections on Tuesday night, starting when the first polls close in the Midwest at 9 PM ET/8 PM local time. Join us for our complete coverage!Senate● OH-Sen: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has canceled its entire $700,000 TV reservation for Ohio's Senate race, reports AdImpact, but an unnamed source soon relayed to Politico's Ally Mutnick that it would instead run so-called hybrid ads with Republican nominee Bernie Moreno's campaign.This arrangement, as we explained when Democrats ran similar ads in an Oregon primary earlier this year, allows the NRSC and Moreno to share the cost of advertising and take advantage of federal rules requiring stations to charge lower rates to candidates rather than the higher rates third-party groups face.These hybrid spots, though, are subject to more stringent content requirements than commercials from candidates or outside groups. Most notably, the ads are required to reference a political party writ large, as opposed to just a single candidate.This rule, however, won't be much of an obstacle in a red state like Ohio: With the GOP poised to do well at the top of the ticket, a message broadly attacking the Democratic Party will likely be popular. Conversely, don't expect Democrats to pursue a similar strategy, because Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to win over voters who are prepared to back Republicans in other races, including Donald Trump for president.The NRSC also utilized hybrid ads last cycle, though it didn't work out well. Rick Scott, the committee's chair, insisted that hybrid ads would allow the party to get more bang for its buck, but critics argued it would unnecessarily restrict the kind of messages it could run. In the end, the Senate Republican caucus wound up shrinking a seat thanks to the GOP's loss in Pennsylvania.But the NRSC's new chair, Steve Daines, seems convinced that this particular element of Scott's strategy wasn't to blame and has forged ahead with a new onslaught of hybrid ads. One unnamed operative, however, seemed to acknowledge the limitations of this approach, telling Reese Gorman of NOTUS that the committee "is relying on [the Senate Leadership Fund] and other outside groups to carry the super PAC message in Ohio and Montana."Governors● NJ-Gov: Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill recently confirmed her long-reported interest in running to succeed termed-out Gov. Phil Murphy by telling Axios, "I'm strongly considering running for governor in 2025. I'd make that decision after Election Day."Fellow Rep. Josh Gottheimer is also publicly mulling entering next year's Democratic primary, though not everyone thinks either House member still needs to decide on anything. Politico's Matt Friedman wrote in June that both Gottheimer and Sherrill will each announce they're in after they're reelected in November even though they're already "all-but-running."The Democratic field to succeed Murphy already includes the mayors of New Jersey's two largest cities, Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City. The primary also features former state Senate President Steve Sweeney and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, who recently finished his stint as mayor of Montclair.House● NH-02: Former Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern has earned the endorsement of SEA/SEIU Local 1984, an influential labor group that represents state employees, ahead of the Sept. 10 Democratic primary for the 2nd District.● NJ-09: Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell was "rushed back to the hospital" on Sunday evening less than a week after he was discharged from a rehabilitation facility, the New Jersey Globe was first to report. The 87-year-old congressman's team did not initially provide information about his condition.The Globe also relays that local Democrats are now working to fill vacant seats on the local county committees in case they're needed to pick a new nominee should Pascrell end his reelection campaign. The story notes that Aug. 27 is the deadline for Pascrell to drop out in time for him to be replaced on the ballot, though judges have given parties extra time in the past. New Jersey's 9th District, which is based in North Jersey, favored Joe Biden 59-40 in 2020.● OH-13: The NRCC has released an internal survey from Cygnal that shows freshman Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes with a small 44-40 advantage over Republican Kevin Coughlin in the race for Ohio's 13th District, a contest where we hadn't previously seen any polling.The memo for this poll, which was first publicized by the National Journal's James Downs, did not include 2024 presidential numbers. President Joe Biden four years ago scored a small 51-48 win in this constituency, which includes the Akron and Canton areas.● TX-18: Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has released a list of endorsements from 30 of the 88 precinct chairs in the Harris County Democratic Party who will decide Tuesday who will replace the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on the general election ballot. The eventual nominee will have no trouble in this dark blue seat, which includes parts of central and northern Houston.Turner is one of several notable names who are competing to succeed Jackson Lee in the next Congress. The roster includes two notable candidates who unsuccessfully challenged Jackson Lee for renomination: state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, who lost in 2010, and former Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, who failed to beat the incumbent earlier this year. The field also features state Rep. Christina Morales, Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer, and Corisha Rogers, who is a local party official.Obituaries● Steve Symms: Idaho Republican Steve Symms, an ardent conservative who won his Senate seat in 1980 by narrowly unseating the state's last Democratic senator, Frank Church, died Friday at the age of 86. The Idaho Statesman's Ian Max Stevenson has more on Symms' volatile career, including his narrow 1986 reelection win and his role spreading a damaging smear against Democrats in the 1988 presidential campaign, in his obituary.Poll PileMI-Sen: Siena College for the New York Times: Elissa Slotkin (D): 46, Mike Rogers (R): 43 (50-46 Harris in two-way, 48-43 Harris with third-party candidates)MI-Sen: Bullfinch Group for The Independent Center: Slotkin (D): 48, Rogers (R): 38 (48-43 Harris in two-way, 46-40 Harris with third-party candidates)PA-Sen: Siena College for the New York Times: Bob Casey (D-inc): 51, Dave McCormick (R): 37 (50-46 Harris in two-way, 46-44 Harris with third-party candidates) (July: 50-42 Casey)PA-Sen: Bullfinch Group for The Independent Center: Casey (D-inc): 51, McCormick (R): 39 (49-45 Harris in two-way, 45-41 Harris with third-party candidates)WI-Sen: Siena College for the New York Times: Tammy Baldwin (D-inc): 51, Eric Hovde (R): 44 (50-46 Harris in two-way, 49-43 Harris with third-party candidates) (May: 49-42 Baldwin) WI-Sen: Bullfinch Group for The Independent Center: Baldwin (D-inc): 50, Hovde (R): 41 (51-42 Harris in two-way, 49-40 Harris with third-party candidates) NC-Gov: YouGov Blue (D) for Carolina Forward: Josh Stein (D): 46, Mark Robinson (R): 36 (46-46 presidential tie with third-party candidates) NC-AG: YouGov Blue (D) for Carolina Forward: Jeff Jackson (D): 42, Dan Bishop (R): 40 NC Supreme Court: YouGov Blue (D) for Carolina Forward: Allison Riggs (D-inc): 42, Jefferson Griffin (R): 41Ad PileFL-Sen: Stanley Campbell (D)NV-Sen: Sam Brown (R); Brown and the NRSCPA-Sen: Dave McCormick (R) - anti-Bob Casey (D-inc)DE-Gov: Matt Meyer (D)FL-01: Matt Gaetz (R-inc)MI-08: Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) - anti-Paul Junge (R)MT-01: Monica Tranel (D) - anti-Ryan Zinke (R-inc)NH-01: Russell Prescott (R)PA-01: Ashley Ehasz (D) - anti-Brian Fitzpatrick (R-inc)Campaign Action

With months more of political spin ahead in the Jon Tester-Tim Sheehy U.S. Senate race, Lee Montana has partnered with PolitiFact. What do you want us to fact-check for you?

The former president’s campaign posted a video of him upon landing in which he said he was glad to be in Montana but did not mention anything about the landing.

Trump’s plane was en route to Bozeman, Montana, when it was diverted Friday afternoon to Billings, 142 miles to the east, an airport officials said.

Trump’s plane was diverted due to a mechanical issue but landed safely in nearby, according to a staff member at the Billings airport.

If Tester won’t tell Montanans what he thinks, all we can do is look at his record.

Legislation that would have boosted tax credits available to many parents failed in the U.S. Senate.