Republican Tim Sheehy wins the Senate election in Montana over Democrat Jon Tester

Republican Tim Sheehy has defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, NBC News predicts, deepening the GOP's projected Senate majority after the party's victories in West Virginia and Ohio.

Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, defeated the three-term senator by consolidating Republican voters in a state that has turned a deeper shade of red in recent years. Sheehy and his allies are portraying Tester as a liberal Democrat who votes with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, undermining the incumbent's reputation as a centrist.

Tester sought to defy his state's partisanship by leaning on his deep roots as a third-generation dirt farmer and touting his bipartisan bona fide movement, including his clashes with the Biden administration on issues such as immigration. Tester and his allies also portrayed Sheehy as the embodiment of the state's wealthy new residents, arguing that they had driven up costs and threatened Montanans' access to public lands.

But Sheehy was ultimately able to withstand these attacks. Republicans touted him as a top recruit with a military background who built an aerial firefighting operation in the state, even as his business record and the condition of his cattle ranch came under scrutiny during the campaign.

The campaigns and outside groups flooded Montana broadcasting with more than $250 million in ads.

Republicans became increasingly confident that they could defeat Tester before Election Day, arguing that the state had moved too far to the right for Tester to overcome and that many of the state's new residents were leaning toward the Republican Party.

But Democrats were cautiously optimistic that Montana voters would view the presidential race and the Senate race from different perspectives. They also pointed out that the Tester campaign's turnout, his appeal to independent voters and his support among Native Americans could help him win.

Democrats were also confident that Tester would get a boost from a state ballot initiative in which voters voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

While Sheehy had said he would respect Montana voters' decision on the issue, he appeared open to supporting federal abortion measures, which Democrats exploited on the campaign trail and on the air.

Tester argued that Montanans don't want the federal government involved in health care decisions.

Still, it wasn't enough to help Tester overcome the state's shift to the right.