US Elections 2024: Races that will determine control of Congress

With Republicans all but assured of winning the open seat in West Virginia, Montana could cement the party’s path back to the Senate majority – if they can oust three-term Democrat Jon Tester.

Tester, 68, is a third-generation farmer who was re-elected twice on the promise of being an independent voice willing to stand up to his own party. But critics say he has been the swing vote on much of President Joe Biden’s agenda, and as Montana lurches to the right, his days in Washington may be numbered.

His opponent, Tim Sheehy, is a former Navy SEAL who ran an aerial firefighting business that helps fight wildfires across the state. But the political newcomer has faced scrutiny over his past, including a lie that the bullet in his arm was a wound suffered in Afghanistan, when in fact he accidentally shot himself while on a hike.

Sheehy, 38, has largely avoided the media, but his embrace of Donald Trump may be enough to push him over the line.