Donations top $57 million in Montana’s U.S. Senate race

New campaign finance reports show U.S. Sen. Jon Tester maintains a large fundraising advantage over Republican challenger Tim Sheehy, while Republican candidates for U.S. House hold an edge in their races.

Tester, seeking a fourth term, raised $6.4 million from mid-May to the end of June and has $11 million in hand. For the election cycle, the incumbent from Big Sandy has raised more than $43.7 million, a record amount, and  three times larger than his campaign war chest as reported in July 2018.

Sheehy, a newcomer to politics recruited to challenge Tester by Republican Senate leadership, posted $3 million in donations from mid-May to June and has $3.2 million on hand. Since declaring his candidacy in July 2023, Sheehy has raised $13.7 million, a sum that includes $2.6 million in contributions from the candidate.

A financial edge doesn’t necessarily equate to votes. In past elections, Tester’s vote share has been better than 50% just once, while his cash advantage has at times more than doubled his opponents’ resources. In 2018, Tester outraised challenger Matt Rosendale four-to-one.

Sid Daud and Michael Downey, Libertarian and Green Party candidates for Senate respectively, neither raised nor spent to the $5,000 threshold at which point federal candidates must disclose fundraising.

In Montana’s eastern U.S. House district, which includes Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and all points east, Republican Troy Downing raised $2 million to win his eight-candidate primary. Downing’s finances show that the candidate loaned himself $1 million. He is currently Montana state auditor.

Eastern district Democrat John Driscoll, of Helena, who won a four-way June primary, hasn’t spent or raised donations to the $5,000 threshhold at which finance reporting is required. A former state legislator and Montana utility commissioner, Driscoll has vowed to keep his campaign spending to a minimum, as he did during a 2008 U.S. House race. Counties comprising the eastern district have historically favored Republican House candidates by, on average,19 percentage points.

Western district Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke raised $1 million from mid-May through June and has $3.1 million cash on hand. For the election cycle, Zinke, of Whitefish, has raised $6.9 million.

Democratic western district challenger Monica Tranel finished the quarter with $2 million on hand and $773,000 raised from mid-May through June. Tranel, a Missoula attorney, has raised $3 million since becoming a candidate last year.

Western district Libertarian candidate Dennis Hayes, a retiree from Townsend, didn’t meet minimum federal reporting requirements.