Trump says he'll campaign in Montana for Sen. Steve Daines
President Donald J. Trump takes the stage at the rally in Great Falls on Thursday, July 5. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
FILE - In this May 10, 2018 file photo, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., asks a question during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Montana voters on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, are choosing party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and House and a slate of other offices in a primary election that was changed to all-mail balloting to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Steve Bullock was expected to defeat first-time candidate John Mues for the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Daines. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2019 file photo, Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Bullock was the lame-duck governor of solidly red Montana, fresh off a failed Democratic presidential bid, when he pivoted and announced he’d challenge Republican Sen. Steve Daines for his seat. But days after he announced his candidacy last month, the coronavirus claimed its first cases in Montana. That shifted the spotlight onto Bullock as he leads the state’s pandemic response, leaving Daines in the unusual position of a sitting senator competing for attention. …
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — President Donald Trump wrote Friday he plans to campaign in Montana in support of Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines’ reelection bid.
Daines is running against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in a key battle that could help determine the majority party in the U.S. Senate.
Daines, writing on Twitter, thanked voters for their support in Tuesday's primary election and added: “Let's win this in November!"
Trump responded with: “No contest. Steve blows him away. So important for Montana. I'll be there to help Steve win big!!!”
Daines responded: “Montana can't wait to have you back, Mr. President!”
No dates have been announced. Montana's current coronavirus-related directives include a restriction on groups of more than 50 in which social distancing cannot be maintained.
Trump visited Montana four times in 2018 for rallies on behalf of Republican candidates, including Matt Rosendale, in his unsuccessful effort to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester. Donald Trump Jr. and Vice President Mike Pence also visited Montana to campaign on behalf of Republican candidates in 2018.
The president acknowledged at his fourth rally that his interest in the Senate race stemmed from anger at Tester, whom he blamed for the withdrawal of his first nominee to head the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, White House physician Ronny Jackson.
