Representative Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr.

Matthew Martin Rosendale Sr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American politician and former real estate developer who represented Montana in the United States House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he emerged as a prominent conservative figure in Montana politics in the early twenty-first century, serving in both chambers of the state legislature and later as Montana state auditor before his election to Congress. Over the course of his career, he sought federal office multiple times, including campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Rosendale was born on July 7, 1960, and was raised in a family that would later be associated with business and real estate interests. Before entering public office, he worked as a real estate developer, a background that informed his later emphasis on property rights, regulation, and economic issues. In 2002, he moved to Montana, where he purchased a ranch near Glendive for approximately $2 million. His relocation to Montana marked the beginning of his long-term involvement in the state’s civic and political life and established his base in the eastern part of the state.

Rosendale’s formal political career began in the Montana Legislature. He was elected to the Montana House of Representatives and served from 2011 to 2013. In 2012, he won election to the Montana Senate, where he served from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure in the state Senate, he rose quickly in leadership and served as Montana Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2017. In that role, he was involved in shaping the Republican legislative agenda in Helena during a period of divided government, working on issues related to taxation, regulation, and state spending.

In 2013, when incumbent U.S. Representative Steve Daines announced that he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead run for the United States Senate, Rosendale entered the race to succeed him in Montana’s at-large congressional district. The 2014 Republican primary field included Rosendale, former state senators Ryan Zinke and Corey Stapleton, state representative Elsie Arntzen, and real estate investor Drew Turiano. Rosendale finished third in the primary with 28.8 percent of the vote, behind Zinke’s 33.3 percent and Stapleton’s 29.3 percent; Arntzen and Turiano received 6.9 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. Two years later, in 2016, Rosendale successfully ran for statewide office and was elected Montana state auditor, a position he held from 2017 to 2020. As state auditor, he oversaw insurance and securities regulation in Montana and continued to build his profile as a fiscal and regulatory conservative.

Rosendale next sought federal office in the 2018 election cycle. In 2017, he announced that he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge two-term incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester. In a competitive four-way Republican primary, he faced district judge Russell Fagg, state senator Al Olszewski, and combat veteran Troy Downing. Rosendale won the primary with 33.8 percent of the vote, compared with Fagg’s 28.3 percent, Downing’s 19.1 percent, and Olszewski’s 18.7 percent. After the primary, he received the endorsement of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence; Trump visited Montana four times to campaign for him, and Pence visited three times. During the 2018 campaign, Rosendale drew criticism for repeatedly describing himself as a “rancher” in interviews and campaign materials, despite public records indicating that he owned no cattle or cattle brand. Critics labeled him “all hat, no cattle.” Rosendale, who leased his land and said he helped run cattle on it, later removed the “rancher” designation from his website and social media biographies. The race, the most expensive in Montana history with more than $70 million spent between the two sides, was widely viewed as a statistical tie heading into Election Day. Tester ultimately won reelection with 50.3 percent of the vote to Rosendale’s 46.8 percent, while Libertarian candidate Rick Breckenridge received 2.9 percent.

In June 2019, after Representative Greg Gianforte announced that he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead run for governor, Rosendale declared his candidacy for the open at-large U.S. House seat. He received early and prominent support from national Republican figures, including President Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Rand Paul, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, and Representative Jim Jordan, as well as the endorsement of the Crow Tribe of Montana. In the six-way Republican primary, Rosendale won decisively with 48.3 percent of the vote, carrying every county. In the November 2020 general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams with 56.4 percent of the vote to her 43.6 percent, securing his first term in Congress.

Rosendale served as a Representative from Montana in the United States Congress from 2021 to 2025. Initially elected to represent Montana’s at-large congressional district, he entered the House of Representatives at a time of intense national polarization and significant legislative debate over public health, economic recovery, and federal spending. Following the 2020 census and subsequent redistricting, Montana regained a second congressional district after having a single at-large district since 1993. Rosendale ran for reelection in 2022 in the newly drawn 2nd congressional district, which covers the eastern two-thirds of the state and includes Billings, Great Falls, and Helena. Again endorsed by Trump, he won the Republican primary and prevailed in the general election with 56.6 percent of the vote, defeating Independent candidate Gary Buchanan, who received 22.0 percent, and Democrat Penny Ronning, who received 20.1 percent. Over his two terms in the House, Rosendale participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Montana constituents during a significant period in American history, aligning with the conservative wing of his party on fiscal, regulatory, and social issues.

Rosendale continued to pursue higher office while serving in Congress. In August 2023, reports indicated that he was moving closer to another bid for the U.S. Senate. On February 9, 2024, he formally announced that he would run in the 2024 U.S. Senate race, seeking a rematch against Jon Tester. Within hours of his announcement, however, former President Trump endorsed another Republican candidate, Tim Sheehy. Six days later, Rosendale ended his Senate campaign. He then opted to run for reelection to his House seat but, amid growing controversy and personal scrutiny, he withdrew from that race as well in March 2024. Shortly after he exited the Senate race, former Democratic senator Heidi Heitkamp alleged on the “Talking Feds” podcast that Rosendale may have impregnated a 20-year-old staffer and would likely resign from the House. Rosendale’s spokesman, Ron Kovach, rejected the accusation as false and defamatory and indicated that Heitkamp would be the target of legal action. On March 8, 2024, Rosendale announced that he would not run for reelection to his House seat, stating that “defamatory rumors” and alleged death threats had impeded his ability to serve.