Republicans are capitalizing on the polarizing conviction of former President Trump in his criminal trial.
As they aim to win back the Senate majority in November’s elections, the GOP is going on offense in reliably red state Montana, where Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is fighting for his political life.
Tim Sheehy, the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary in Montana, is launching an ad this week that charges “Jon Tester supported Joe Biden’s witch hunt.”
It is the first spot in a crucial Senate race to highlight the verdict in Trump’s trial.
TRUMP UNLEASHED FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICT IN CRIMINAL TRIAL
Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, was found guilty by a New York City jury Thursday of all 34 felony counts in his case, the first in which a former or current president stood trial.
TRUMP TURNS CONVICTIONS INTO CASH FOLLOWING GUILTY VERDICTS
The former president repeatedly argued that the case was a “sham” and “rigged” and claimed that it was “prosecuted directly from the inner halls of the White House and DOJ.”
Former President Trump, right, endorsed Tim Sheehy for the Montana Senate. (Sheehy for Senate)
The narrator in the ad by Sheehy, a successful businessman and former Navy SEAL, charges that it was “state-sponsored political persecution led by Joe Biden and the radical left. They want to throw Trump in jail.”
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“Tester’s even advocated for violence against President Trump,” the narrator says, as the commercial includes a clip from an old MSNBC interview when the senator said someone needs to “punch” Trump “in the face.”
News of the ad was first reported by Politico.
Trump has endorsed Sheehy, who is also heavily backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) speaks to reporters as he walks through the Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker)
The commercial is the latest entry in the Montana Senate race’s multimillion-dollar ad wars. Additionally, a GOP strategist who works in Senate races says it is “a sign of Republicans going on offense following the Trump verdict,” especially in red states like Montana and Ohio, where Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is also being heavily targeted by the GOP.
Tester spokesperson Monica Robinson, responding to the spot, argued in a statement that Sheehy “is trying to cover up the fact that he’s an out-of-state multimillionaire who has been caught lying about every part of his life and is running for Senate to benefit himself, not Montana. Jon will continue running on his record of always fighting for what’s best for Montana — including getting more than 20 bills signed into law by President Trump.”
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