Tim Sheehy is a Montana businessman, a former Navy SEAL, a Bronze Star recipient, a Purple Heart recipient, and the victor in Tuesday’s Republican Senate Primary. He can be classified as a political outsider, but Sheehy points to that as his political strength due to Congress’s low approval rating. He was apparently inspired to run for Senate due to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“We gave up our 20s to fight for this country,” Sheehy said. “And Biden literally washed it all away, and didn’t even say sorry for it.”

Sheehy may win his challenge against Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Montana is a state former President Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2020, and Tester is the only Democrat who holds statewide office. The state is hotly conservative. Each of Tester’s three elections thus far has come by under 2 percentage points over the Republican in the race. Sheehy, due in part to the national attention and to the circumstances of the race, is the best candidate thus far to challenge Tester. These factors have led Montana to become a key focus area for Republicans looking to take control of the Senate from Democrats. This has led national Republicans to come out in support of Sheehy. Everyone from Trump to Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has come out to back him.

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Admittedly, Tester holds significantly more money than Sheehy, but the total race spending has shattered records. The Republican will have to fight against Tester’s name recognition as the incumbent. Sheehy has the same disadvantage anyone trying to unseat an incumbent does: funding gaps, name recognition, and people attempting to undermine his background. Tester, however, appears to be campaigning with more fear, complaining to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell that his opponents are trying to “buy Montana” and make it a “playground for the rich.” This is considering that mid-May filing reports showed Tester with $11.7 million to Sheehy’s $2.2 million. The irony of this statement seems apparent to all viewers as Sheehy’s popularity only seems to increase by the day.

Tuesday’s primary showed the force Sheehy can bring to the election, as he cleared a field of three with over 73% of the vote. Sheehy simply crushed everyone else. He can still frame the general election as a David vs. Goliath referendum against the Democratic machine. Of all the races against Democratic incumbents across the country, he likely has the best chance of winning. Sheehy can win as the new guy who has a dedicated record of service to the country, and with this showing in the primary on Tuesday, he may be able to ride the wave all the way to the Capitol.