Republican Leaving Congress Over 'Rumors'

Republican Representative Matt Rosendale announced on Friday that he is planning to leave Congress over "defamatory rumors."

In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Rosendale said that he will be withdrawing from the House race. Rosendale previously announced that he was backing out of the Senate race shortly after launching his campaign.

"Since that announcement, I have been forced to have law enforcement visit my children because of a death threat against me and false and defamatory rumors against me and my family," Rosendale said. "This has taken a serious toll on me, and my family. Additionally, it has caused a serious disruption to the election of the next Representative for MT-02."

Rosendale added in his statement that the ongoing "attacks" have made it difficult for him to work in Congress and on his campaign.

"So, in the best interest of my family and the community, I am withdrawing from the House race and will not be seeking office," he said. "It has been my honor to serve you and may God bless each and every one of you."

The Context

As Rosendale noted in his statement, he ended his campaign to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate just a few weeks ago.

Rosendale said in a statement on February 15 that he had planned to run for Senate "and to win both the primary and general election."

"However, the day I announced, President Trump then announced he was endorsing a different candidate," Rosendale said. "I have long been a supporter of the president, and remain so. But I have been forced to calculate what my chances of success would be with Trump supporting my opponent."

Rosendale was planning to take on Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester in the race.

What We Know

Last month, former President Donald Trump endorsed Tim Sheehy for Montana's Senate race.

"I also respect Matt Rosendale, and was very happy to Endorse him in the past - and will Endorse him again in the future should he decide to change course and run for his Congressional Seat. But in this instance, Tim is the candidate who is currently best-positioned to DEFEAT Lazy Jon Tester, and Regain the Republican Majority in the United States Senate," Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

Following his decision to drop out of the Senate race, Rosendale announced on February 28 that he was going to run for reelection to represent Montana in the House.

Newsweek reached out to Rosendale's press secretary via email for further comment.

Views

House Speaker Mike Johnson was previously expected to endorse Rosendale in his Senate campaign. However, Montana Republican Representative Ryan Zinke said last month that "upon reflection, the speaker withdrew his endorsement largely based on the reality that Rosendale is the weaker candidate by far against Tester," Politico reported.

On February 26, Politico reported that Rosendale's office threatened legal action against former North Dakota Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, after she alleged on a podcast that the Montana Representative dropped out of the Senate race because of a rumor that "he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person."

In a statement to Politico responding to Heitkamp, a spokesperson for Rosendale's office said, "This is 100% false and defamatory and former Senator Heitkamp will be hearing from our lawyers soon."

What's Next

Rosendale will serve the remainder of his term representing Montana in the House, which is set to end this year.

Several Republicans have already announced their plans to run for Rosendale's seat, including Denny Rehburg, who previously served as a Montana from 2001 to 2013.

Update, 3/8/24, 1:25 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.

Update, 3/8/24, 1:55 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.