Matt Rosendale

Rosendale announced he would run for the Montana House of Representatives[12] to represent House District 38, which covers Wibaux and part of Dawson County. Also seeking the Republican nomination were Edward Hilbert and Alan Doane. Rosendale prevailed, receiving 48.4% of the vote to Doane's 41.3% and Hilbert's 10.4%.[13]

Rosendale defeated Democratic incumbent State Representative Dennis Getz in the general election, with 52.7% of the vote to Getz's 47.3%.[14]

During the 2011 legislative session, Rosendale served on several committees, including the Business and Labor Committee, the Transportation Committee, and the Local Government Committee.[15]

In 2012, with State Senator Donald Steinbeisser ineligible for reelection due to term limits,[16] Rosendale announced he would run for the Montana Senate to represent Senate District 19, a heavily Republican district in eastern Montana.[17]

After running unopposed in the Republican primary,[18] Rosendale defeated Democratic nominee Fred Lake in the general election, with 67.6% of the vote to Lake's 32.4%.[19]

During the 2013 legislative session, Rosendale served as vice chair of the Natural Resources and Transportation Committee. He also served on the Finance and Claims Committee, the Highways and Transportation Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.[15] During this legislative session, Rosendale was the primary sponsor of a resolution urging Congress to submit a balanced budget amendment to states.[20] He also was the primary sponsor of a bill that became law to prevent law enforcement from using drones for surveillance purposes.[21]

Based on Rosendale's voting record in the 2013 legislative session, he earned a 100% on the Montana Family Foundation's scorecard[22] and was also named a "Champion of Business" by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.[23]

Due to state redistricting in 2014, Rosendale represented Senate District 18 for the rest of his tenure, starting in 2015.[24] At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Rosendale's colleagues in the State Senate elected him to serve as majority leader.[11] He also chaired the Rules Committee and was a member of the Finance and Claims Committee and Natural Resources and Transportation Committee.[15] Rosendale was the primary sponsor of a bill to authorize direct primary care provider plans that passed the legislature before being vetoed by Governor Steve Bullock.[25]

Rosendale's voting record in the 2015 session earned him 100% scores from several organizations, including the Montana Family Foundation.[26] He received the American Conservative Union's Award for Conservative Excellence[27] and was again named a "Champion of Business" by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.[28]

With State Auditor Monica Lindeen ineligible for reelection due to term limits,[29] Rosendale ran for the position.[30]

Rosendale ran unopposed in the Republican primary.[31] In the general election, he faced Jesse Laslovich,[32] who was Lindeen's chief legal counsel and widely considered one of Montana's rising political stars.[33]

Despite being outspent 4:1,[34] Rosendale defeated Laslovich with 53.6% of the vote to Laslovich's 46.4%.[35] At the time, this was the most expensive State Auditor's race in Montana state history.

In 2017, Rosendale announced he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge two-term incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester.[36]

In a competitive four-way primary, Rosendale faced District Judge Russell Fagg, State Senator Al Olszewski, and combat veteran Troy Downing.[12] Rosendale won the Republican primary with 33.8% of the vote to Fagg's 28.3%, Downing's 19.1% and Olszewski's 18.7%.[37]

After the primary, Rosendale was endorsed by President Donald Trump[38] and Vice President Mike Pence.[39] Trump visited the state to campaign for Rosendale four times,[40] with Pence visiting three times.[41]

Polls showed the race in a statistical tie going into election day,[42] in what was the most expensive election in Montana history, with more than $70 million spent between the two sides.[43] Tester's campaign had a huge cash advantage, raising and spending $21 million to Rosendale's $6 million.[44]

In the general election, Tester won 50.3% of the vote to Rosendale's 46.8%, with Libertarian candidate Rick Breckenridge taking 2.9%.[45]

As State Auditor, Rosendale approved direct primary care agreements[25] and authorized Medi-Share to operate in Montana.[46] Medi-Share, a health care sharing ministry which asks members of a religious faith to pool money together to cover their health care costs, had previously been banned from operating in Montana after the company refused to cover a member’s medical bills. In authorizing Medi-Share to operate in Montana, Rosendale determined that the company did not qualify as an insurer and had no obligation to pay subscribers’ bills.[47]

He refused to accept a pay raise every year taking an annual salary of $92,236.[48]

As State Auditor, Rosendale was also one of five members of the Montana State Land Board, which oversees the 5.2 million acres in the state trust land.[49] As a member of the Montana State Land Board, Rosendale voted to expand access to over 45,000 acres (18,000 ha) of public land.[50]

In 2017, Rosendale proposed legislation that would create a reinsurance program so that individuals with preexisting conditions could access affordable health coverage. This legislation passed both houses of the legislature before being vetoed by Governor Steve Bullock.[51] Rosendale condemned Bullock's veto, saying, "the governor has sacrificed good, bipartisan policy in favor of bad, partisan politics."[52]

Rosendale then worked with a bipartisan group of Montana officials to create a reinsurance program and were granted a waiver to do so by the federal government.[53] The program is now operational.[54]

In 2019, Rosendale proposed legislation targeting pharmacy benefits managers and a practice known as spread pricing.[55] The legislation passed both houses of the legislature[56] before being vetoed by Bullock.[57] Rosendale again condemned Bullock, saying his veto "is a gift to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries and it's a slap in the face to consumers."[58]

In 2013, incumbent Representative Steve Daines announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead run for the United States Senate.[59] Rosendale then announced his candidacy to succeed Daines in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition to Rosendale, the Republican field included former State Senators Ryan Zinke and Corey Stapleton, State Representative Elsie Arntzen, and real estate investor Drew Turiano.[60]

Rosendale came in third place with 28.8% of the vote, behind Zinke's 33.3% and Stapleton's 29.3%. Arntzen and Turiano received 6.9% and 1.7%, respectively.[61]

In June 2019, Representative Greg Gianforte announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead run for governor to replace term-limited Governor Steve Bullock.[62] Days later, Rosendale announced he would run for the open seat.[63]

Rosendale received the early endorsement of President Trump.[64] He also received early endorsements from elected officials around the country, including Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Rand Paul, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and Representative Jim Jordan,[65] as well as the endorsement of the Crow Tribe of Montana.[66] He won the six-way Republican primary with 48.3% of the vote, carrying every county.[67]

Rosendale defeated Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams in the general election in November, with 56.4% of the vote to her 43.6%.[68]

As a result of the 2020 census and redistricting cycle, Montana regained a congressional district after having had a single at-large district since 1993. Rosendale ran for reelection in the reconstituted second district, which covers the eastern two-thirds of the state and includes Billings, Great Falls, Helena and his home in Glendive.

Rosendale again received Trump's endorsement and won the Republican primary with 75.7% of the vote. He won the general election with 56.6% of the vote, to Independent Gary Buchanan's 22.0% and Democrat Penny Ronning's 20.1%.

Along with all other Senate and House Republicans, Rosendale voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[69]

In June 2021, Rosendale was among 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.[70] Also in June 2021, he was among 14 House Republicans to vote against passing legislation to establish June 19, or Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.[71]

Rosendale supports a ban on members of Congress trading stocks.[72][73]

In June 2021, Rosendale was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[74][75]

Rosendale was one of 15 representatives to vote against H.R. 567: Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021, which would establish an interagency program to assist countries in North and West Africa to improve immediate and long-term capabilities to counter terrorist threats, and for other purposes.[76]

In September 2021, Rosendale was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.[77][78] He was among 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.[79]

In November 2021, Rosendale was one of six House Republicans to vote against the RENACER Act, which extended U.S. sanctions against Nicaragua and granted the president several ways to address acts of corruption and human rights violations by the Daniel Ortega administration, including the power to exclude Nicaragua from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and to obstruct multilateral loans to the country.[80][81]

Rosendale issued a statement in opposition to intervention in Ukraine during the 2021–22 Russo-Ukrainian crisis.[82] Later, he sponsored the Secure America’s Border First Act, which would prohibit the expenditure or obligation of military and security assistance to Kyiv over the U.S. border with Mexico.[83]

On March 2, 2022, Rosendale was one of only three House members to vote against a resolution supporting the sovereignty of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.[84]

In 2022, Rosendale voted against a bill that would provide approximately $14 billion to the government of Ukraine.[85][86]

In July 2022, Rosendale was one of 18 Republicans to vote against ratifying Sweden's and Finland's applications for NATO membership.[87]

In 2023, Rosendale was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[88][89]

In July 2021, Rosendale voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military during its invasion of Afghanistan, while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed in the House 407–16.[90]

Rosendale sponsored Representative Brian Babin's bill, H.R.140 - Birthright Citizenship Act of 2021, which would eliminate birthright citizenship.[91]

• Committee on Veterans Affairs[92]
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Technology Modernization (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Natural Resources[92]
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
  • Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States

• Freedom Caucus[93]
• Republican Study Committee[92]