FIRST ON FOX: A conservative super PAC announced Wednesday that it is supporting GOP Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy while also deploying a 7-figure investment to encourage Montanans to vote early.
“Today, the Sentinel Action Fund endorsed Tim Sheehy for U.S. Senate in Montana. Along with this endorsement, the Sentinel Action Fund announced a seven-figure investment and the launch of SkipTheLineMT.vote, a new initiative aimed at educate Republican voters on how to request absentee ballots,” the group announced in a statement promoting the SkipTheLineMT.vote site.
Sheehy, a Purple Heart recipient who was also endorsed by GOP presidential candidate and former President Trump, won Montana's GOP primary Tuesday night and will face the Democratic incumbent. Sen. John Tester in what many see as a prime opportunity for Republicans to regain control of the Senate.
“The Montana Senate race will be one of the most important elections for Republicans to retake the Senate majority in 2024,” Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund, said in the press release. “The Sentinel Action Fund is excited to support Tim Sheehy for U.S. Senate in Montana, and we are committed to using our strong election infrastructure and SkipTheLineMT.vote to get Sheehy voters out to vote through mail-in voting, harvesting ballots and chiseling.”
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A voter fills out their ballot at a polling station (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Sentinel Action Fund, which bills itself as “the only conservative Super PAC with a year-round ground game committed to eliminating absentee, early voting and 'voter day',” is focused on competing with Democrats for early voting in key elections. Swing states, something Republicans have generally been criticized for not focusing on in the past, largely because of concerns about voter integrity.
“We also believe that Montana has made very strong strides in election integrity over the last four years. This provides greater security and convenience for voters who wish to vote early and by mail,” Anderson told Fox News Digital.
“I think the message is that reforms have been made that provide more security and comfort to Montana voters who vote early, to vote by mail, and particularly to low-propensity voters who are not habitual voters but who will run for Trump in a big Senate race like this,” Anderson continued.
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Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate for Montana (Louise Johns)
“The lowest barrier to entry for voting is voting early or voting by mail, so we're excited about the makeup of the state, which is why the Skip The Line Montana site is sort of a catch-all where all voters can go find information on how to vote early and see all the rules that govern how the election is conducted.
The Sentinel Action Fund's announcement comes a day after former President Trump's Republican National Committee announced Tuesday the launch of what it calls its “Swamp The Vote USA” effort to promote early voting.
This is a major reversal from Trump's position four years ago, when he repeatedly condemned in-person early voting and mail-in voting and said they were responsible for what he considered massive electoral fraud that led to his defeat by the president. Biden.
“Republicans must win and we will use every appropriate tool to beat Democrats because they are destroying our country,” Trump argued in his statement.
Anderson told Fox News Digital that Trump's quote was “fantastic.”
“I thought it showed how willing he was to embrace legal means and tactics and methods to get voters out to vote,” Anderson said. “He leaves nothing to chance. Our efforts are therefore completely complementary.”
“I think the party made a tremendous decision and a very wise investment that follows now to embrace mail-in voting and early voting while also calling for election integrity. We can do two things at once.”
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Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024, after being found guilty of 34 counts of first-degree falsification of business records. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)
Montana, a state Trump won by 16 points in 2020, is now the seat of the Senate race that the Cook Political Report classifies as a “toss-up.”
“Jon Tester has failed Montanans, consistently voting in line with Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden while pretending to be a so-called 'moderate,'” Anderson told Fox News Digital.
“Montanans know that Jon Tester does not represent them or their values, which is why they took an important step in nominating Republican Tim Sheehy,” Anderson continued. “Sheehy is a trusted conservative champion who will fight for Montanans in Washington and support President Trump's efforts to restore the integrity of the courts and reduce the overreach of federal bureaucracy. We look forward to his victory in November.”
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report