Ron DeSantis doubles down on Montana Senate endorsement

Florida’s Governor is continuing to weigh in on races far outside the Sunshine State.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest foray in national politics: doubling down on an August endorsement of Tim Sheehy, a Republican Senate candidate in Big Sky Country.

DeSantis, a former presidential candidate who is seemingly poised to run again in 2028, lionized the challenger to Democrat Jon Tester in a text message to his “RON PAC” list.

“This is a man who won’t let any obstacle stand in his way in his mission to save our nation. And he’s facing one big obstacle: A DESPERATE Democrat Party with money to burn,” the solicitation says.

“You see, his seat would be a major pickup for the GOP — and current projections have him poised to snatch the Senate seat away from long-time Democrat Senator Tester.”

Indeed, polling on average shows Sheehy up 5 points in Montana, suggesting that DeSantis is picking the winning side. Earlier this week, Inside Elections rated the Senate race in the state “tilt Republican,” further cementing the narrative.

This fundraising appeal again shows DeSantis’ willingness to “help nationally” ahead of the November election, something he said he would do after leaving the presidential race this year. Last week, he offered a similar message of support to Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde, who is looking to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin.

Arguably, this national attention comes at the expense of in-state allies and causes, as shown by the failure of his School Board candidates as DeSantis said he is “doing a lot of different things” compared to a more successful past cycle.

“I will confess, in ’22 we had a whole operation dedicated to this and we did a lot of resources and we had all that,” DeSantis said in August. “I wasn’t in a position to do that this time, at least for the Primary. Maybe we’ll help in the General because I’ve got all these other things I’ve got to do.”

“I’m raising money for the super PAC helping Trump against Kamala Harris. I’ve got stuff we’re doing with the Legislature. I’ve got, you know, these amendments that they’re doing,” DeSantis added, referring to work to defeat the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana or the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion pushes.