WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Tim Sheehy Limps Into General Election Facing “Slew of Bad Headlines”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
CONTACT
rehm@mtdems.org
Tim Sheehy’s a “Minnesota native and interloper who doesn’t understand Montana values”
Helena, MT – Tim Sheehy’s lies and weaknesses are front and center as he limps into the general election bruised and embattled, with 1 in 4 Montana Republicans voting against him in the Republican primary.
Read the press coverage following Montana’s primary highlighting his lies, weaknesses, and distrust among Montana Republicans:
Helena Independent Record: “Since Sheehy joined the race, the first-time political candidate has faced a slew of bad headlines, including carpetbagging criticism, half-truths about who is receiving the proceeds from his book and revelations that he lied about a gunshot wound.”
Daily Montanan: “But the former Navy SEAL has also drawn scrutiny for his Minnesota roots, his multiple multi-million-dollar properties, his company’s finances and a lawsuit he faces from former employees, and his lie to a Glacier National Park ranger about how a bullet ended up lodged in his arm.”
NPR: “The Washington Post first reported that Sheehy was cited in 2015 for accidentally discharging a gun in Glacier National Park that lodged a bullet in his arm [...] Sheehy’s timeline of events is inconsistent with a park ranger’s 2015 account, which was detailed in a summary the National Park Service released recently. However, he’s resisted releasing medical records that may show when he sustained the bullet wound.”
Huffington Post: “Sheehy’s record isn’t as clear-cut as he’d like voters to believe. Media reporting has shined a light on everything, from inconsistent accounts of how he received a bullet wound, to his aerial firefighting company’s ongoing embrace of climate science while Sheehy’s been on the campaign trail railing against a so-called “climate cult.” [...] In what could prove to be one of his more problematic campaign missteps, Sheehy last year advocated for federal lands to be “turned over” to states — a position that historically has not gone over well with Montana voters.”
NOTUS: “Republican Tammi Fisher, the former mayor of Kalispell and now political podcast host, said that Sheehy’s greatest weaknesses are authenticity and his lack of polish as a first-time candidate. Sheehy and Tester will have their debate this Sunday, and Fisher fears it won’t go well for Sheehy because he hasn’t had the practice of a primary debate under his belt [...] she said Sheehy has a long way to go to make up for his shortcomings, particularly against a Democrat as well regarded in the state as Tester.”
New York Times: “[Sheehy] epitomizes a trend of rich transplants moving to the state and driving up housing prices, which has infuriated longtime residents.”
POLITICO: “They have been lobbing attacks for months casting Sheehy as a Minnesota native and interloper who doesn’t understand Montana values. They have knocked him for statements he’s made in favor of privatizing public lands and for giving conflicting accounts of how he obtained a bullet wound in his arm.”
NBC: “‘I’m not going to downplay it — it’s certainly going to be a difficult race,’ said Alex Bruesewitz, a GOP consultant aligned with Trump and Sheehy. ‘It’s not a cakewalk by any means.’”
Associated Press: “Tester — a former state Senate president who’s considered a moderate in Washington — has emphasized his work for veterans and his roots as a third-generation farmer in central Montana. He’s also played up concerns that wealthy outsiders such as Sheehy are buying up property and driving housing prices and taxes higher.”
The Hill: “[Sheehy] came under scrutiny this spring over a gunshot wound after the Washington Post highlighted inconsistent accounts of the incident that caused it.”
CBS News: “Things haven't been completely smooth sailing for Sheehy. The veteran came under fire earlier this year for discrepancies in his story of how he sustained a gunshot wound. And while he and his fellow Republicans have tried to paint Tester as the establishment candidate with deep ties to Washington, Sheehy's own connection to Montana has been called into question.”
Washington Post: “Sheehy has also come under scrutiny after he said he lied to a law enforcement officer about accidentally shooting himself in Glacier National Park. He has since claimed that he made up the accidental gunshot story to cover up an injury he said he suffered while in Afghanistan.”
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