Republican Sheehy poised to knock off incumbent Democrat Tester in Montana Senate race: CBS

The anti-establishment mood on display across America on Election Night and the wee hours of Wednesday morning reached Big Sky country, with Republican challenger Tim Sheehy poised to knock off two-term incumbent Democrat Jon Tester and add to its Senate majority in a CBS News projection around 7 a.m. Eastern.

Sheehy himself thanked voters 90 minutes earlier. "We The People made our voices heard, we completed our mission, and now we will secure our children’s future and save America together!!" he wrote on X.

Tester tried to brand the former Navy SEAL and founder of an aerial firefighting company as an "out-of-touch carpetbagger," CBS News reported. Tester contrasted that with his deep roots in the state as a third-generation "dirt farmer," as he liked to reminder followers on X. "I'll take those odds any day."

Sheehy portrayed Tester as a creature of Washington and "touted bringing jobs to Montana with his business, which made him wealthy enough to help fund his campaign," CBS News reported. 

The swelling population appears to be driven by Republicans, and these "changing dynamics posed a serious hurdle for Tester — the sole Democrat serving in statewide office in Montana," it said.