Rosendale drops reelection bid, will retire at end of term
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) announced Friday that he will retire at the end of his current term, a sudden about-face after he said just last week that he would run for reelection.
The news comes after a rocky month for the Montana Republican: He launched a Senate campaign in early February, which he suspended days later after a number of Republicans — including former President Trump — endorsed his primary opponent, prompting him to instead announce another run for his House seat, which he is now dropping.
And it caps off Rosendale’s tenure in the House, during which he became known as a hardline conservative who was one of eight Republicans to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the top job.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Rosendale referenced a death threat against him and “defamatory rumors” targeting him and his family that surfaced after suspending his Senate bid.
“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. 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 wrote.
“To me, public service has truly always been about serving, not titles or positions of power. The current attacks have made it impossible for me to focus on my work to serve you. 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 added.
Rosendale did not elaborate on the threats or allegations against him, but his announcement comes days after former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) alleged in a podcast interview that the Montana Republican dropped his Senate bid because of a rumor that “he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person.”
Rosendale’s team denied Heitkamp’s claim and threatened legal action against the former senator.
“This is 100% false and defamatory and former Senator Heitkamp will be hearing from our lawyers soon,” Ron Kovach, a spokesperson for Rosendale, told Politico in a statement.
Updated: 1:22 p.m. ET