Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., announced Friday that he will not seek a third term, citing unspecified “false and defamatory rumors” about him and his family, as well as a death threat.
“The current attacks have made it impossible for me to focus on my work to serve you,” Rosendale said in a statement posted to X. “So, in the best interest of my family and the community, I am withdrawing from the House race and will not be seeking office.”
It’s the second surprise announcement from Rosendale in three weeks. Last month, he ended his campaign for a Senate seat less than a week after launching it. Rosendale faced a potentially brutal Republican primary in that race against aerospace entrepreneur Tim Sheehy, who is backed by former President Donald Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Trump advisers and allies had been frustrated with Rosendale, who they believed had not been sufficiently loyal, and made that clear before he entered the contest.
“This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against [Senate GOP Leader] Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington,” Rosendale said when he dropped out of the Senate race Feb. 15. “But I felt like I could beat them, as the voters do not agree with them choosing who would be the next U.S. Senator from Montana.”
“However,” Rosendale added, “by my calculations, with Trump endorsing my opponent and the lack of resources, the hill was just too steep.”
In his Friday announcement, Rosendale said he made the decision to file for re-election to his House seat “at the urging of many, including several of the current candidates.”
Since then, Rosendale added, “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” Montana’s 2nd Congressional District.
A crowded field had emerged for the House seat, given the expectation that Rosendale would run for Senate. Among the candidates are former Rep. Denny Rehberg, who served what was then Montana’s lone congressional district from 2001 until 2013. Rehberg announced his candidacy last month — after Rosendale ended his Senate bid.
Rosendale, a former state legislator and state auditor, represented Montana’s at-large congressional district for a term and has served the newly recreated 2nd District since last year.
Rosendale is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus and has caused some pain for GOP leadership in the House. He was one of a handful of Republicans who denied former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the gavel over 15 rounds of votes at the beginning of this Congress — and angered Trump by ignoring his phone call on the House floor to get in line behind McCarthy.
