A Democrat farmer and a Trump-backed Navy SEAL: The Montana primaries and the race that could decide the Senate

Montana voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the primaries for one of the most competitive Senate races in the country come November. 

Democratic Senator Jon Tester is up for reelection in one of the reddest states and Republicans believe it is among their best chances of flipping a seat as they look to retake the Senate majority this fall. 

Tester has served in the Senate since 2007 and won his most recent reelection in 2018 with more than 50 percent of the vote. 

But he is running this year in a state that Donald Trump carried in 2020 by more than 16 percent. He will be at the top of the ticket again in this presidential year.

Tester's expected opponent in the general election is Republican frontrunner Tim Sheehy, a close Trump ally. 

Senator Tester is facing a challenge from likely Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy this November. Voters in Montana cast ballots in the state's primary on June 4

Sheehy is a businessman and former Navy SEAL who graduated from the Naval Academy in 2008.

He is a top GOP recruit backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and received Trump's endorsement earlier this year. On Monday, he was endorsed by the NRA.

Sheehy is the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, aerial firefighting company with multiple government contracts that went public with a valuation of nearly $900 million last year. Financial disclosures also show he has a number of investment and business holdings. 

Federal Election Commission filings show he has given his campaign more than $2 million ahead of the state's primary. 

If elected, Sheehy would be one of Congress' wealthiest members.

He has been closely aligning himself with Trump and has focused some of his messaging in the final days of the primary around Trump's conviction.

The day Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York, the ex-president posted a video on Truth Social urging Montanans to get out and vote for Sheehy on Tuesday, calling him a 'true American warrior.'

In response to Trump's conviction, Sheehy released a Trump-like statement: 'RIGGED! New York v. Donald Trump is state-sponsored political persecution led by the Party of Joe Biden and Jon Tester. WE THE PEOPLE stand with PRESIDENT TRUMP!'

Sheehy will also be the first GOP Senate candidate to go up with an ad centered on Trump's conviction according to Politico.

GOP Senate Candidate Tim Sheehy has touted his support from former President Trump as he makes a bid to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Tester

He has attacked Tester of being a top recipient of lobbyist contributions, pointing to tracking by the organization Open Secrets, accused him of flip-flopping on immigration and has attempted to tie the senator to President Biden. 

But Sheehy has proven to have his own vulnerabilities as a first time candidate. 

The Daily Beast and others have released a series of scathing reports about inconsistencies in his retelling of his 'rural' upbringing in Minnesota and not registered his cattle or farm animals in the state as required. He's been accused by critics of being a 'wannabe cowboy.'

Sheehy also told the Washington Post he lied to a Glacier National Park ranger about how he received a gunshot wound in 2015. He said he made the story about accidentally discharging a weapon to cover up a bullet wound he never reported to superiors while serving in Afghanistan. 

In response to the reports, Sheehy has lashed out at the media and accused it of unfair treatment. 

Tim Sheehy told the Washington Post he lied to a park ranger about shooting himself in the arm in 2015 when he actually received the gunshot wound in Afghanistan in 2012 but never reported it to superiors. Sheehy claimed he lied to protect former platoon members from an investigation 

But Sheehy's Republican primary since he jumped into the race just under a year ago has gone much more smoothly than it could have, considering he had little competition from GOP opponents. 

He was initially facing what could have been a bruising primary against Congressman Matt Rosendale, but the congressman dropped out of the Senate primary in February just a week after officially entering the race.

Rosendale later announced he would also retire from the House at the end of his term amid rumors he had a sexual relationship with a staffer and got her pregnant. He denies the allegations. 

His exit from the race paved the way for Sheehy to avoid a combative primary and focus his attention on Tester and their expected blockbuster November matchup. 

Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale (pictured in the Montana State Capitol on February 9 ) denied an accusation that he dropped out of the US Senate race because he impregnated a 20-year-old staffer

Tester was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and is the only remaining Democrat to hold a statewide office in Montana. 

The third-generation farmer, who previously served as the state's Senate President, is the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. 

Tester has touted his deep roots in the state and fighting to preserve its 'way of life.'

While Tester is ranked one of the most bipartisan senators in Congress and touts his moderate credentials in the increasingly partisan chamber, he has voted for Biden's biggest legislative priorities including the American Rescue Plan, Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure bill.

More recently, Republicans have accused him for flip-flopping on the Laken Riley Act as he runs for reelection in a tough state for Democrats.

The bill would require federal officials to apprehend immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes such as burglary or larceny until they are removed from the U.S.  Tester previously voted against it as an amendment.

Republicans have also attempted to tie him as well as Democrats on a whole to the conviction of former President Trump. (They have not provided proof in their accusations that Biden played any role in the case against the ex-president.)

Senator Jon Tester was first elected to the Senate in 2006. Republicans see his seat as one of their best chances to help flip the Senate. They've focused much of their attacks on his votes for President Biden priorities 

Tester is a third-generation farmer in Montana

There have been few polls released on the likely Montana Senate matchup between Tester and Sheehy come November.

An Emerson College poll in March showed Tester up by two points in a close race among registered voters. Another poll by JL Partners that month showed Sheehy up by three points in a head to head match up among likely voters.

The Montana Senate race is already one of the most expensive races in the country, and fundraising has set new records.

Montana voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday for the primary in a state Trump won in 2020 by 16 points

In April, Tester's campaign announced it raised $8 million in the first quarter of the year, the most raised in the first quarter for a Montana Senate election.  He brought in another $4 million through mid May and has raised more than $37 million this cycle to date, records show.

Sheehy has raised more than $10.5 million this cycle including the more than $2 million he has loaned his campaign. 

Democrats currently hold a one seat majority in the Senate, but Republicans have a much friendlier map come November where Democrats in multiple states Trump won, including Montana, are up for reelection.