Montana Senate race, which could determine majority, seeing 'intense ground game operation': NRSC Chairman

EXCLUSIVE: Montana's U.S. Senate contention has 1 of the astir "intense" crushed games of the 2024 rhythm with the chamber majority hanging successful the balance, according to the president of the Republican run arm. 

Sen. Steve Daines is spearheading Republican efforts to instrumentality power of the Senate arsenic president of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), with a heightened accent connected ousting a three-term Democrat successful red authorities Montana.

Daines exclusively told Fox News Digital the Montana Senate contention pitting Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy against three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester features 1 of the strongest crushed crippled efforts from the GOP helium has witnessed successful the state.

"I've watched a batch of Montana Senate races, House races, politician races implicit the years. This is the astir aggravated crushed crippled cognition and the astir far-reaching that I've seen successful galore predetermination cycles," Daines told Fox News Digital. "It's a door-to-door benignant of persuasion, arsenic good arsenic a batch of phoning, a batch of digital. So, it's a truly beardown crushed game, knowing that I deliberation well-run crushed games triumph elections."

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Montana Republican Senate campaigner Tim Sheehy, left, and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., perceive arsenic erstwhile President Trump, the Republican statesmanlike nominee, speaks astatine the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse astatine Montana State University Aug. 9, 2024, successful Bozeman, Mont. (Michael Ciaglo)

The New York Times precocious reported that Sheehy is leading Tester by 8 percent points, but Daines emphasized that portion the Republican campaigner remains up successful respective polls, they are going to proceed energizing their get-out-the-vote efforts until Election Day.

"It's a precise aggressive, progressive clip with conscionable a small implicit 2½ weeks until the predetermination focused connected elector turnout and crushed crippled operations, arsenic good arsenic continuing to person the capable resources," Daines said. "Get the connection retired to those fewer undecided voters that are left, whether it's done television, radio, integer mail. So, we're not letting up. You support moving hard each the mode until Election Day."

The Montana contention figures to beryllium the astir costly Senate contention connected a per-vote basis, which Daines attributes to its precocious stakes.

"This is what secures the bulk for the Republicans and takes the gavel retired of Chuck Schumer's hands," helium told Fox. "And that's wherefore there's truthful overmuch focused attraction connected this race."

Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., left, and Steve Daines, R-Mont., movie a connection extracurricular Dirksen Building connected the value of getting a COVID-19 vaccine April 27, 2021.  (Tom Williams)

In aboriginal September, 2 governmental forecasters shifted the Montana contention from a toss-up to "leans Republican," on with AARP and the NYT surveys showing the Republican starring the contention against the three-term Democrat.

A sojourn to Bozeman by former President Trump successful August, who endorsed Sheehy earlier this year, contributed to the caller polling displacement successful the Republican candidate's favor, according to the chairman.

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The electorate successful Montana has shifted toward the GOP implicit the years, and Tester remains the lone Democrat to clasp a statewide bureau successful the state.

"I deliberation what's happened is Montana, successful presumption of their voting and their thinking, has moved a spot more. But the biggest occupation for the Democrats is they've moved truthful acold left. This is not the aforesaid Democrat Party that I grew up with present successful Montana," Daines said of the reddish question successful the state.

Tim Sheehy, a Republican campaigner for U.S. Senator, speaks astatine a rally supporting erstwhile President Trump, the Republican statesmanlike campaigner successful Bozeman, Mont., Aug. 9, 2024.  (Natalie Behring)

Daines besides highlighted the nationalist implications of the Big Sky Senate race.

"This contention is bigger than Montana, due to the fact that this contention so volition determine the aboriginal of the United States Supreme Court, the aboriginal of the circuit courts," Daines said. "There's besides the Trump taxation cuts that expire successful '25, which would beryllium a monolithic taxation summation for Montana's tiny businesses. 

"Jon Tester voted against that taxation bill. I voted for it. Tim Sheehy would ballot for that. So, there's conscionable a batch astatine stake, not lone for Montana but for the nation. And, so, we present successful Montana volition astir apt beryllium capable to flip the bulk power of the U.S. Senate with Tim Sheehy's victory. And that has important implications, not lone for the large authorities of Montana, but for our large country." 

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There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs this cycle, and Democrats are protecting 23 of them. The Senate bulk stands astatine 51-50 with Democrats successful the majority, meaning conscionable a 1 spot flip could displacement the bulk to the Republican Party.