Waiting to vote tested the willpower of hundreds of people in an hourslong line that stretched outside a county courthouse in a Montana town.

Montana voters approved a ballot measure enshrining abortion in the state constitution, NBC News projects, delivering a victory to advocates for reproductive freedom.

Republican Tim Sheehy bolstered the GOP's newly acquired Senate majority with a victory over three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in a contest of national importance that featured a record-setting torrent of spending by the two sides.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has lost re-election to businessman Tim Sheehy, NBC News projects.

Republican Tim Sheehy triumphed over third-term Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in Montana’s crucial Senate race, expanding the GOP majority in the Senate. Sheehy led Tester 53%-45% when the race was called by the Associated Press at 6:26 a.m. EST on Wednesday.

Republican Tim Sheehy will defeat three-term Montana Sen. Jon Tester, CNN projects, boosting the GOP’s hopes of claiming the Senate majority.

The state was one of 10 that voted on abortion-related ballot measures in the 2024 election. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the landmark Dobbs decision two years ago, a growing number of states have responded by passing their own laws codifying the right to abortion.

Tim Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL and wealthy businessman who was running his first race for office in Montana against three-term incumbent Jon Tester

Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana and Republican Tim Sheehy are locked in a tight election battle.The Montana Senate contest was seen as one of the toughest for Democrats in the 2024 election,

Montana voters opted overwhelmingly to support abortion access, but they elected a whole slate of anti-abortion Republican candidates into office. How did it happen?