Chairman of the Freedom Caucus backs Republican candidate in competitive Rosendale House primary

EXCLUSIVE — House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) endorsed Montana‘s Republican superintendent of public instruction, Elsie Arntzen, in a crowded GOP primary for outgoing Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) seat on Wednesday.

“It is my privilege to endorse Elsie Arntzen for Congress in Montana’s 2nd District,” Good said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “She has proven to be the kind of courageous conservative warrior we need to change Washington.”

Arntzen entered the race for the state’s eastern congressional district in mid-February, waiting until sitting congressman Rosendale announced his short-lived run for Senate. Rosendale briefly considered running for his House seat again after former President Donald Trump endorsed Rosendale’s rival, Tim Sheehy, in the Senate primary but ultimately announced he would retire from Congress at the end of his term, ending a monthlong saga about his reelection plans.

Now, there’s a competitive race to replace Rosendale, who is among the House’s most right-leaning Republicans and a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Arntzen is almost at the end of her term overseeing public K-12 education in Montana. She was a state lawmaker and teacher. Arntzen said she is honored to receive Good’s endorsement.

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“Congressman Good is leading the charge to drain the swamp. He is a champion for the conservative values I hold so dearly,” Arntzen said in a statement. “I truly look forward to fighting alongside him in Congress to end the invasion, finish the wall, eliminate woke ideology, and restore the Trump economy.”

Arntzen will face State Auditor Troy Downing, state Sen. Ken Bogner, and former legislator Joel Krautter, among others, in the primary for the safe Republican seat. The primary is on June 4.