Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Falls to Navy SEAL Veteran in Key Senate Race

Republican Navy SEAL veteran Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester in Tuesday's Senate race in Montana.

Sheehy's victory over the three-term incumbent pads the majority Republicans will have in the Senate in the next session of Congress and potentially shakes up military and veterans policy going forward as one of the upper chamber's most prominent Democratic voices on those issues leaves.

"I've been serving our country since I was 18, because when your country calls, you must answer, and I am incredibly honored by your support and the trust you've placed in me to fight for you and serve Montana as your next U.S. senator," Sheehy posted on social media Wednesday, a few hours after The Associated Press called the race for him.

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With Tester a leading voice on veterans policy in the Senate and Sheehy's status as a veteran himself, veterans issues played a key role in their campaigns as both candidates searched for an edge in a race seen as vital to which party would control the Senate next year.

Montana has the third-highest veterans population per capita in the country at 9% of the state's adults, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Sheehy was winning by about 8.6% with 93% of votes counted on Wednesday afternoon, according to the AP.

Sheehy's campaign materials prominently featured references to him being a SEAL, and he regularly mentioned his military service in campaign ads and speeches.

But aspects of his military record also came under question over the course of the campaign, particularly his account of getting shot in the arm in Afghanistan.

While Sheehy said in campaign speeches and in a memoir that he was shot in Afghanistan, The Washington Post uncovered earlier this year that he told a National Park Service ranger in 2015 that he accidentally shot himself when his gun dropped on the ground during a visit to Glacier National Park.

After the Post's reporting, Sheehy maintained that he injured himself in a fall and that he lied to the park ranger when the old bullet wound was discovered because the Afghanistan shooting was friendly fire from a fellow SEAL, and he was worried disclosing that could instigate a military investigation, even though he had already retired from active duty at that time.

As Tuesday's election drew closer and Sheehy pulled ahead in polls, the park ranger and a SEAL with whom Sheehy served came forward to dispute Sheehy's account on the record. Pressed in an interview over the weekend on the inconsistencies in his story, Sheehy said there are no medical records that would support his account of being shot in Afghanistan and also suggested it was an Afghan ally who shot him, not a fellow SEAL.

Meanwhile, Tester throughout the campaign cited his accomplishments as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, including helping shepherd the sweeping toxic exposure legislation known as the PACT Act into law.

In addition to leading the Veterans Affairs Committee, Tester has been the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subpanel for the last three years. In that job, he has been a strong supporter of bulking up the Pentagon budget beyond the Biden administration's requests.

But Tester's record on veterans and military issues and his personal brand as a moderate were not enough to save his seat in a red wave that also saw former President Donald Trump sweep back into the presidency.

"Look, I'm very, very blessed," Tester said after his defeat, according to the AP. "I've had a great 18 years in the United States Senate. I've met some incredible people along the way and had the opportunity to do some great things to help move this state forward, move the country forward."

Related: The SEAL vs. the Chairman: Why Veterans Issues Matter in the Montana Senate Race