23 February 2024 — 1033 mst
Did Rosendale file for the Senate just to save face?
By James Conner
That possibility deserves serious consideration. He spent a year telling friends he would challenge Tester again, his 2018 loss to the Democrat notwithstanding. But he was all hat and no cattle. He complained, but didn’t campaign, didn’t make a heroic effort to raise money, didn’t assemble a blue ribbon campaign team. He just told his friends “I’m running against Tester in 2024,” and they believed him instead of being properly skeptical.
By filing for the U.S. Senate he fulfilled his hollow promises to his friends and kept his word. Then he withdrew, citing Trump’s endorsement of Sheehy as the reason he got cold feet.
Will he now run for another term as Montana’s eastern district representative in the U.S. House? He need not decide until 11 March. If he does seek re-election, he faces a crowded primary that now includes five-term at large congressman Denny Rehberg, a potentially formidable opponent. More on that tomorrow.
Rosendale’s relentless ambition reminds me of the chorus to the New Christy Minstrels’ great song, Green Green:
Green green, it’s green they say
On the far side of the hill,
Green, green, I’m goin’ away,
To where the grass is greener still.