NEW: Trump-Endorsed Senate Candidate Wins Primary

A Trump-backed U.S. Senate candidate in Montana has won the right to take on the state’s vulnerable Democratic incumbent this fall.

Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, secured the Republican Party’s nomination on Tuesday after handily defeating local politician Brad Johnson, a former secretary of state, and Native American candidate Charles Walking Child. Sheehy claimed 73.6% of the vote on election night, according to NBC.

“America is at a crossroads and we need a new generation of leaders to save our country. Joe Biden and Jon Tester’s reckless agenda has brought us skyrocketing food, housing, and energy prices and an open border allowing illegal immigrants, drugs, and crime to flood into our country,” Sheehy said in a statement to Fox News after the race was called.

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“As a Navy SEAL, I’ve always put country before self and I’m running for the U.S. Senate to end Joe Biden and Jon Tester’s inflation, seal our border, secure our children’s future, and put America First! I am humbled and honored by all the support and look forward to finally retiring the #1 recipient of lobbyist cash and pro-Biden liberal Jon Tester,” he continued.

In a statement, former President Donald Trump praised the Purple Heart recipient, referring to Sheehy as “an American Hero.”

“I LOVE MONTANA!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account. “Tim Sheehy is an American Hero and highly successful Businessman from the Great State of Montana. He is strongly supported by our incredible Chairman of the NRSC, Steve Daines, and many other patriotic Senators and Republicans who have endorsed our Campaign to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

With control of the Senate hinging on just a few closely contested races, Republicans are eyeing Montana as one of the party’s best pickup opportunities of the cycle. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MO), in office since 2006, has been seen fleeing reporters at the Capitol as they peppered him with questions about supporting boycotts of Israel and voting to “allow American taxpayer dollars to fund Hamas,” as one reporter claimed.

Speaking earlier this year with Fox News, Sheehy said he isn’t surprised to see the three-term senator dodging questions in a reelection year.

“You know this is what he does. Five years out of every six he’s a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, firm progressive. Votes lockstep with Schumer, Biden and every other progressive in the country,” Sheey told Fox in November. “And then, for his election year, he tries to shift back to the center and act like he’s a moderate.”