Who is Matt Rosendale? President Trump to head to Montana to boost GOP Senate candidate

In a little less than a year, Matt Rosendale went from candidate to the GOP hopeful in the Nov. 6 race against Montana Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump will speak at a rally in Great Falls to boost Rosendale and Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Republican incumbent seeking re-election.

Rosendale, 57, is a state auditor and a former majority leader in the Montana state Senate. He moved to Montana in 2002 from Maryland, where he worked in real estate, real estate development and land management.

In his campaign profile in the Great Falls Tribune, Rosendale said he wanted to fight excessive spending in Washington and help Trump "restore greatness to our country.”

His critics have labeled him as an East Coast developer funded by special interests who would be bad for public lands, veterans and health care. They’ve also called him “Maryland Matt.”

Rosendale, who won the Republican U.S. Senate primary on June 5, has listed supporters as Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah and President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Rosendale's donors spent more than $3 million to support his primary campaign. Outside groups already have spent more than $5 million total on the GOP primary and on attack ads against Tester, putting the race on track to be one of the most expensive in Montana history, the Associated Press reported.

Like his Democratic opponent Tester, Rosendale sports a "buzz" haircut. He has dubbed the Senate race "The Battle of the Flat-Tops."

Trump won Montana by 20 points in 2016. His son, Donald Trump Jr., has come to the state several times to campaign for Republican candidates.

WPXI