Former Congressman Matt Rosendale Endorses Sid Daoud for Kalispell Mayor
Daoud announced the endorsement last week, describing the hard-line conservative Republican as a "rock star legislator and legitimate icon for liberty" even as Rosendale's political profile has dimmed since he dropped his bid for U.S. Senate last year
By Zoë Buhrmaster
Former Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale is endorsing Sid Daoud as Kalispell’s next mayor.
Daoud announced the endorsement via Facebook on Sept. 11 with a comment from the former congressman, a hard-line conservative Republican whose political profile has dimmed since he dropped his bid for U.S. Senate in February 2024. A member of the far-right House Freedom caucus, Rosendale pulled out of the Senate race less than a week after he entered it and did not seek re-election to his U.S. House seat, effectively quitting politics.
Daoud, a current Kalispell city councilor and perennial third-party candidate in both state and federal races, ran as an Independent in last year’s high-stakes Senate race, which garnered national attention because it pitted three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester against Republican newcomer Tim Sheehy, a conservative firebrand who received a key endorsement from President Donald Trump. Sheehy went on to unseat the incumbent farmer from Big Sandy, bolstering the GOP’s Senate majority.
In Rosendale’s endorsement of Daoud, which was released on Daoud’s candidate website, the former congressman described the twice-elected city councilor as a “selfless public servant proving himself previously as an effective Kalispell City Councilman and nationally as a veteran.”
“He is a thoughtful leader who will listen before acting, while recognizing the limits our founders placed on government,” Rosendale stated in the endorsement. “I am certain he will fight tirelessly to preserve our Montana way of life and he has my complete endorsement as he runs for the position of mayor of Kalispell.”
Rosendale served as a state representative in Montana from 2011 to 2013 and in the senate from 2013 to 2017. He was elected to statewide office as the state auditor and insurance commissioner in 2016, and to Montana’s at-large congressional district in 2020. In 2022, Rosendale became the inaugural representative in Montana’s newly drawn 2nd congressional district that now belongs to Republican Troy Downing.
Although Rosendale’s heavy Maryland accent made him a frequent target of critics seeking to portray him as a carpetbagger, he grew in national stature when in October 2023 he joined a group of Republicans to call for the ouster of then-GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a feat made possible when Democrats lined up behind the cause.
For Daoud, Rosendale’s endorsement is a feather in his mayoral campaign cap.
“This endorsement is truly an honor for me!” Daoud said of Rosendale’s support. “Matt Rosendale is a rock star legislator and legitimate icon for liberty.”
Daoud currently is representing Kalispell City Council’s Ward 4, with a term that expires at the end of 2027. The other two mayoral candidates are Ryan Hunter, who is the current Ward 3 councilor, and local businesswoman Kisa Davison.
The endorsement comes a little more than one week after the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce endorsed Davison for mayor, describing her as a “pro-business candidate.”
The mail-in municipal election will take place on Nov. 4. Kalispell residents will be mailed their ballots on Oct. 17.