Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has defeated three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana’s Senate race. That has turned a key race as Republicans are poised to take back control of the Senate, the Associated Press projects.

His victory increases the Republican majority in the Senate to at least 52, according to Associated Press projections.

All eyes were on the Big Sky State’s competitive Senate race, pitting Senator Tester, Montana’s only three-term Democrat, against former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy.

Early in the cycle, the Montana race was considered one of Republicans’ best chances and one of Democrats’ most vulnerable seats in the 2024 cycle.

Sheehy launched his Senate bid exclusively on Fox News Digital in June 2023, calling for “a new generation of leaders to step up” in Congress in his bid to oust the Red State Democrat.

MONTANA SENATE RACE COULD BE GOP’S BEST MATCH TO TIP THE BALANCE OF POWER

Sen. Jon Tester, left, and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy (Getty Images/Sheehy for Senate)

The Navy SEAL quickly gained support from prominent GOP members after announcing his candidacy, including Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and John Barrasso of Wyoming.

Before entering the political scene, Sheehy served in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific, where he received the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and a Purple Heart. In addition to owning multiple businesses, the veteran shares four children with his wife, Carmen Sheehy, who is a Marine veteran.

MONTANA CAN DECIDE THE SENATE

Former President Trump endorsed Sheehy, whom he described as an “American hero,” in February after Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale launched a short-lived bid for the seat.

U.S. Senate candidate from Montana Tim Sheehy speaks during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)

Tester, a former teacher, was first elected to the Montana Senate in 2006. The Democrat owns a family farm in Big Sandy, where he lives with his wife Sharla.

Tester has taken a more moderate stance on issues during his time in the Senate and has openly broken with the Biden-Harris administration at several points over the years. The Democrat withheld the endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris after she became the party’s nominee.

Tester elevated Sheehy throughout the election cycle, but the final poll leading up to Election Day showed the Republican candidate in the lead.

Just two months before Election Day, two top political handicappers shifted the Senate race in Sheehy’s favor.

Senator Jon Tester prepares for a debate with GOP challenger Tim Sheehy at the University of Montana in Missoula on September 30, 2024. (The Missoulian)

The Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan election handicapper, recently shifted the race from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball of the University of Virginia Center for Politics moved the race to “lean Republican” .

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Democrats protected 23 seats in the Senate this cycle, more than double the number of Republicans defending 10 seats in the House.