Montana, Ohio Key to GOP Gaining Senate Majority

With Democrats holding the slimmest majority possible in the Senate – 51-49 – the GOP has a handful of genuine opportunities to change that count.  Given what is expected to be a close race for the White House, Republicans must hold their House majority and win the Senate to halt the Left’s radical agenda.  Among the GOP’s prospects – Montana and Ohio:

Montana

Democrat Jon Tester was first elected in 2006 in one of the closest Senate elections in the state’s history.  He reelections in 2012 and 2018 have been nearly as close.

Unlike Tester’s previous opponents, Republican Tim Sheehy is a political outsider.  A local businessman and retired Navy SEAL, Sheehy’s young and charismatic.  Sheehy’s steadily attached Tester to Joe Biden’s economy, energy policies, and illegal immigration calamity and today the race is a virtual dead heat.  

Energy plays an enormous role in Montana’s economy, with natural gas and oil accounting for more the $7 billion annually and employing more than 56,000 people.  Biden’s war on oil and gas puts the state’s already troubled economy in the crosshairs.  By tying himself to Biden, while Biden guts the energy industry and champions “renewable” energy, Tester’s moderate image has taken a beating.    

The state is already trending red, with Donald Trump winning by nearly 21 in 2026 and by 16.5 in 2020. Currently, Trump leads Biden by a RealClearPolitics aggregate of 21.5 points ​ (Race to the WH)​, while a recent Public Opinion Poll of likely voters found Sheehy ahead of Tester, 47%-46%.  

Ohio

Biden’s economy has hit Ohio hard, and it hangs like a dark cloud over far-left incumbent Sherrod Brown, the only Democrat elected to a statewide office in Ohio.  Brown has been a major ally of Joe Biden’s, particularly in support of his economic policies.  

But the state is growing increasingly red, and Republican candidate Bernie Moreno is a successful Cleveland businessman and a political outsider poised to unseat Brown. 

Moreno, who champions cutting taxes and wasteful spending, is taking full advantage of Brown’s support of Biden.  Ohio voters consider the economy the number one issue facing the nation, followed closely by illegal immigration.  There are stark differences between Moreno and Brown.  

Donald Trump carried Ohio in 2016 and 2020 by slightly more than 8%, and presently leads Biden by 10.5% (realclearpolitics).  The most recent polls of the Senate race have Brown holding a 5% lead, but pundits consider the race a toss-up.