Tim Sheehy (R), the Navy SEAL running to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), “has repeatedly told voters he was ‘discharged’ from the military for medical reasons, owing to wounds sustained in service,” the Daily Beast reports.

“But the Republican’s own autobiography, published just last year, says otherwise; he wrote that he became disillusioned with military personnel policies and left of his own accord after being injured in a training accident.”

“A staffer for Montana Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy engaged with numerous social media posts with racist and antisemitic messaging,” Axios reports.

“Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy apologized and asked for leniency in 2015 after he said a gun he kept in his vehicle for bear protection fell and discharged, striking him in his right forearm in Glacier National Park, according to new National Park Service documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request,” the Washington Post reports.

“The new documents, which provide additional detail about an incident first reported by The Washington Post this month, include a detailed written statement from Sheehy to a law enforcement officer regarding Sheehy having accidentally shot himself on Oct. 18, 2015 — an account that he now says was a lie.”

“Tim Sheehy, a charismatic former Navy SEAL who is the Republican candidate in a U.S. Senate race in Montana that could determine control of the chamber, has cited a gunshot wound he received in combat that he said left a bullet in his right arm as evidence of his toughness,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Sheehy: “I got thick skin — though it’s not thick enough. I have a bullet stuck in this arm still from Afghanistan.”

“It was one of several inconsistent accounts Sheehy has shared about being shot while deployed. And in October 2015, more than a year after he left active duty, he told a different story.”

“After a family visit to Montana’s Glacier National Park, he told a National Park Service ranger that he accidentally shot himself in the right arm that day when his Colt .45 revolver fell and discharged while he was loading his vehicle in the park.”

A new Emerson College/The Hill poll in Montana finds Sen. Jon Tester (D) leading challenger Tim Sheehy (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 44% to 42% with 14% undecided.

Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) office is threatening legal action against former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) after she said on a podcast that he dropped out of the Senate race because he impregnated a staffer, Politico reports.

Said Heitkamp: “I think the GOP caucus may lose a member in the next couple days. Just to gossip a little bit: There’s a reason why Rosendale backed out of that Senate race — the rumor is he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Montana finds Sen. Jon Tester (D) leading challenger Tim Sheehy (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 40%.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) “is dropping his Montana Senate bid less than a week after he officially launched it,” Politico reports.

“Rosendale had publicly explored a campaign for months, teasing his entrance into the race in conversations with like-minded Republicans. But by the time he got in, it appeared already too late: Just hours after his entry, former President Donald Trump endorsed veteran Tim Sheehy. Rosendale said he concluded his path was irrevocably severed by the former president.”

Donald Trump endorsed Tim Sheehy (R) in the Montana U.S. Senate race, the same day Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) also got into the race.

After significant blowback, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Senate Republican leadership that he no longer plans to endorse Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) in the Montana Senate GOP primary, Punchbowl News reports.

It’s yet another embarrassing reversal for Johnson.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) plans to endorse Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) expected campaign for U.S. Senate, Punchbowl News reports.

“Johnson’s endorsement would put him in direct conflict with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the NRSC and the Senate Leadership Fund, all of whom are opposed to Rosendale’s candidacy.”

“The Senate GOP political operation has backed Tim Sheehy (R) to take on Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in one of the marquee races this year.”

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) “is expected to announce a campaign for Senate as soon as this weekend, torching plans from top Republican officials to avoid a bruising primary battle in a state that many in the party view as their best chance to win back control of the chamber,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Rosendale, an anti-abortion Republican agitator who voted to overturn the 2020 election, plans to formalize his campaign as Montana Republicans gather for their winter meetings this weekend in Helena.”

“A hostile Republican Senate primary is brewing in Montana, where the anticipated candidacy of Rep. Matt Rosendale has some of former President Donald Trump’s top advisers and allies stewing,” NBC News reports.

“The tensions — described in interviews with NBC News by seven GOP strategists and consultants aware of the acrimony — threaten to undermine Rosendale’s campaign before it even officially starts.”

“Many party leaders are lined up behind Tim Sheehy in what is likely to be one of the toughest Senate contests in the country this year.”

Playbook: “Is someone trolling Tim Sheehy, or is he trolling Montanans? The GOP establishment’s pick to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Tester backed Trump last spring — so it was surprising when somebody listing Sheehy’s name and address gave the maximum donation to Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) presidential campaign in June. (This was three days after Trump became the first former president in history to face federal criminal charges.) To make matters more head-scratching, the donation listed Sheehy’s occupation as ‘plane crasher’ — and it came five days before our now-colleague Ursula Perano reported for The Daily Beast on the existence of a lawsuit against Sheehy for a fatal plane crash that happened while he was piloting.”

“Campaign donations using fake famous names do happen, so it could have been a prank. But the Scott campaign later amended the report (a common practice) to list the occupation as owner of Little Belt Cattle Co., which is Sheehy’s real job.”

New York Times: GOP infighting and Democratic mischief animate Montana Senate race.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) has been making calls to House conservatives asking for money for a future Senate run, per multiple GOP lawmakers and Republican insiders, Punchbowl News reports.

The filing deadline is less than two months away.

New York Times: “The visit to Mr. Trump’s Florida home came at a tricky moment for the inexperienced speaker, who is already facing criticism from hard-right allies livid at him for teaming with Democrats last week to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown.”

“Mr. Trump’s influence over spending fights in Washington may be limited, but Mr. Johnson’s decision to meet with him within weeks of his election is a sign he knows he cannot afford to have Mr. Trump weighing in publicly against him and hardening right-wing opposition to his leadership.”

A new poll in Montana finds Tim Sheehy (R) leading Matt Rosendale (R) in a Republican primary to take on incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), 40% to 24% with 31% still undecided.

Politico: “Sheehy’s campaign has been on air since July, with an ad buy totaling more than $1.5 million, and a pro-Sheehy super PAC also went up with a radio ad in October. Both have largely aired positive spots that stress Sheehy’s background as a Navy SEAL-turned-aerial firefighter.”