Dems aim to interfere in Montana’s GOP Senate primary.

Chuck ‌Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC has ⁤long used⁢ astroturf groups to boost ⁣Dems in western states

Democrats are using a new super PAC to meddle ⁢in the Montana GOP Senate‍ primary and stop former Navy SEAL Tim⁣ Sheehy from emerging as the nominee, ​campaign finance disclosures suggest.

The‌ new group, Last Best‌ Place PAC,⁢ registered ⁢with ‍the Federal ⁤Election Commission last ​week and placed a six-figure ad buy attacking Sheehy’s⁢ business career, describing it as unethical. ​The registration form and‍ ad buy include two telltale signs that ‍national Democrats are behind the effort.⁢ The PAC’s registration form lists Amalgamated Bank—which has long⁢ worked with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.)—as its depository, and ⁣the group used a prominent left-wing media firm, Virginia-based Old⁣ Town Media, to purchase the⁤ advertisement.

The disclosures, first reported ⁤ by Politico, suggest Schumer and other‌ Democrats are again attempting to influence Republican Senate primaries and tilt them toward nominees they feel are easier to beat, a tactic that helped the party gain a seat in the upper chamber last year. While Sheehy has not yet attracted a prominent primary opponent, Republican ⁤Montana congressman Matt Rosendale has reportedly informed colleagues that⁣ he ​plans to enter the race. Rosendale lost to ⁢Democratic senator Jon ⁣Tester by nearly 4 points in 2018,​ and National Republican ⁤Senatorial Committee chairman Steve Daines, who serves as Montana’s junior ​senator, has‌ already endorsed ⁢Sheehy as he looks to avoid a contentious primary.

National Republican Senatorial⁤ Committee spokesman Mike ‍Berg suggested Last Best Place PAC’s emergence shows that Schumer⁣ wants Rosendale to‌ “run and lose to Jon Tester ⁤again.”

“This shady Schumer-Tester front group is meddling in the Montana Republican primary because they fear Tim Sheehy and know⁣ he⁣ is the strongest general election opponent,”‍ Berg said in a statement.

Schumer’s Senate​ Majority PAC did not return ⁣a ⁤request for comment. Last Best Place PAC​ has thus far declined to reveal the source of its funding.

Schumer ⁢spent millions in ‍2022 to elevate ⁢certain candidates in GOP Senate ⁢primaries. In New ⁢Hampshire, for example, the⁣ Democrat’s PAC spent more than $3 million ​to‌ boost Republican Don Bolduc, who went ‌on to ‌secure⁣ the nomination and lose the general ⁢election to Democratic senator Maggie Hassan by nearly 10 points.

Schumer also has⁤ a history of using pop-up super ⁢PACs to run ads in Montana. In 2020, Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC‌ partnered with Montana Hunters and Anglers, a⁢ liberal super‌ PAC disguised as a grassroots⁣ hunting group, to imply that Montana Democrat Steve​ Bullock had support from local sportsmen.‍ But groups such as the Montana Shooting Sports Association ​blasted the effort, and Bullock⁤ went on to lose to Daines by 10 points.

Last ‌Best Place PAC, which used a P.O. box ⁢in Montana ‍to register with the FEC, will ​not have to report its donors until early 2024. The Montana ⁢GOP Senate primary will take place next June.