WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS—Marking the unofficial end to summer, the final rodeo weekend has come and gone in Montana. GOP Senate challenger Tim Sheehy sponsored tickets for the Labor Day weekend rodeo in White Sulfur Springs, allowing active duty and veteran service members to attend the rodeo free of charge.
Veterans advocacy has been a key talking point in the Senate race between Republican Tim Sheehy and three-term incumbent Democrat Jon Tester. But the contest has exposed deeper issues fundamental to America’s future and who can represent Montanans in the Senate.
Tester’s Washington-insider image and a Democratic Party lurching left as voters contemplate the border and a fragile economy have left him exposed, while Sheehy has been successful at speaking to those issues.
Sheehy now leads Tester by eight points, signaling former President Trump’s firm hold on Montana and a changing balance in the U.S. Senate.
Key Takeaways:
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Sheehy’s military service and alignment with Montanans’ top concerns have propelled him ahead of incumbent Jon Tester.
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Tester touts legislative achievements for veterans – which are bipartisan and uncontroversial – but have not been enough to buffer his record of support for the Biden-Harris agenda.
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New AARP poll shows challenger Sheehy leading Tester by 8 points in MT’s US Senate race
Tester's Legislative Efforts Not Enough to Overcome Questions of America's Future
Sheehy has called Tester to account for lack of advocacy for veterans. While Tester chairs the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sheehy’s campaign has aimed the spotlight on veterans’ outcomes such as the ever-increasing veteran suicide rate and broken VA medical system.
It’s true, your 18 years of failed leadership is a slap in the face to every man and woman who served our great country.
— Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) February 29, 2024
As a Senator and head of the VA Committee, you’re responsible for:
❌ Record veteran suicide
❌ Illegal immigrants taking care away from veterans
❌… https://t.co/CtNbAcGCDR
Tester highlighted the passage of the PACT Act, which expanded healthcare coverage eligibility to include veterans exposed to toxic agents such as burn pits, framing the legislation as an uphill battle: “nobody said we could” get it passed. In reality, the bill passed 81-14.
Two years ago, we got the PACT Act done when nobody said we could. Why? Because it was the # 1 priority for veterans and their families.
— Senator Jon Tester (@SenatorTester) August 27, 2024
Now we need to do the same with my Major Richard Star Act—the top legislative issue for veterans and VSOs. Our combat-injured vets can't wait. pic.twitter.com/el75JGM809
Tester chairs the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, whose proposed legislation historically enjoys bipartisan support. The Major Richard Star Act, HR 1282, has 326 current co-sponsors from both sides of the political aisle. Veterans’ issues and VA reform generally lack political charge, offering ample opportunity for Republicans and Democrats alike to pass legislation.
But Sheehy has effectively answered a bigger question in reaching for Tester’s seat: what does it mean to fight for America, and what does an America worth fighting for look like?
Sheehy’s message of securing the border and backing Donald Trump’s America-first energy and economic policies have vaulted him ahead in polls.
Sheehy at the Rodeo
Sheehy spoke in White Sulphur Springs to the selfless service of military servicemen and women, highlighting that service members lay their lives down for the freedoms of their fellow Americans.
“At the end of the day, we’re all Americans — we should be proud of that,” Sheehy concluded.
Returning to his family beyond the arena, Sheehy was approached by several rodeo attendees for handshakes and selfies. A boy handed Tim a Sharpie pen, asking him to sign his cowboy hat.
Sheehy’s son, Bruce, went on to win the youth mutton busting event.
Sheehy signs a supporter's cowboy hat at the Labor Day Rodeo in White Sulphur Springs, MT.
US Senate candidate Tim Sheehy shook hands and obliged selfie photo-ops throughout the rodeo crowd, including thanking a Green Beret veteran, pictured here, for his service.
THE STATE OF MONTANA’S US SENATE RACE
Apart from voting alongside hundreds of colleagues in support of apolitical, bipartisan legislation for veterans, Tester twice voted to impeach President Trump and voted in support of men competing in women’s sporting events, leaving him exposed to moderate and conservative voters.
A poll released this week by AARP reports Sheehy pulling an eight point lead ahead of incumbent Tester. Voters cite immigration and border security as the top issue, followed closely by inflation.
The poll shows former President Trump leading Democrat nominee Kamala Harris in Montana by 15 points, consistent with Montana’s streak of double-digit support for Republican Presidential candidates since 2012.
Flipping Jon Tester’s seat is the top priority for Republicans’ path to secure a US Senate majority this fall. Sheehy’s lead over Tester is fueled by Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement, on display at an energetic rally at MSU’s campus in Bozeman in August.
For now, Harris’ flash-in-the-pan campaign does not appear to have the horsepower to drag Tester over the finish line.
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