REPLACING:

Jon Tester (D)

WORK HISTORY:

Bridger Aerospace (CEO and Founder); Ascent Vision Technologies (CEO and Founder); United States Department of Defense (Military Officer) [i] [ii]

EDUCATION:

United States Naval Academy [iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Public Lands; Economy and Energy; Border Security; Gun Rights; Fiscal Responsibility; Supporting Montana Agriculture; Veterans; Health Care; Life; Social Security; Education; National Security; Forest Management [iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Sheehy describes himself as “proudly pro-life.” He also stands “in strong support of IVF as a path for Montana families to grow.” He criticized his predecessor Sen. Jon Tester’s position on abortion, claiming that Tester supported “aborting a healthy, full-term baby the day before it is due.” [v] Sheehy has stated that he believes young women have been “indoctrinated” on the issue of abortion, going on to say, “It’s called murder. That is the position of the American Democrat Party.”[vi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Sheehy has criticized what he refers to as the “porous” Southern border. He blames undocumented immigration for “more crime and drugs flooding into our country and into our Montana communities.” Sheehy supports building the wall at the Southern border.[vii] Sheehy has publicly praised President Trump’s border security and immigration policies, claiming that Trump created a “secure border” four years ago. [viii]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Sheehy accused President Biden and Tester of “reckless” economic policies that led to inflation, rising grocery prices, and higher energy costs. Sheehy has linked energy policy with the economy, calling for the repeal of “new EPA job-killing energy regulations and mandates.” Sheehy believes that investing in American natural resources to drive energy production will lead to more high-paying jobs and lower energy costs. [ix]  Sheehy has been critical of the national debt, calling spending in Washington “out of control” and calling for a balancing of the budget. [x]

TAXES:

In April 2024, Sheehy made a “No New Taxes” promise to voters. He has pledged not to raise any income taxes and believes the “Trump tax cuts” should “stay in place.” [xi]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Sheehy has been highly critical of what he considers “soft-on-crime” district attorneys across the country. "The crime we're seeing on our streets right now is a direct result of soft-on-crime policies from coast to coast in this country,” said Sheehy in a February 2024 interview. “Soft-on-crime DAs that apparently have time to prosecute Donald Trump for decades-old spurious cases, yet they don't have time to arrest and hold illegal immigrants who have assaulted police officers in the street." Sheehy has stated that he will be “extremely strict” on only approving cabinet appointees and judicial nominees that are pro-law enforcement. [xii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Sheehy is opposed to the Green New Deal, which he states would “destroy Montana’s economy and jobs and devastate our communities.” During his campaign, Sheehy criticized what he calls the “climate cult” and “radical environmentalists.” Sheehy also blamed growing wildfire threats on forest mismanagement, rather than climate change (for awareness, Sheehy founded a private aerial wildfire fighting company, Bridger Aerospace). [xiii] Sheehy’s goal is to make America “energy independent,” using natural resources that can be found in Montana, including coal, minerals, timber, and grasslands. [xiv]

GUN SAFETY:

Sheehy has vowed to protect the Second Amendment from “liberal politicians” and a “radical gun control agenda.” [xv] Of note, Sheehy faced scrutiny in the final days of his Senate race over a 2015 incident in which his firearm went off in Glacier National Park and Sheehy received treatment for a bullet wound (firing a weapon is illegal in national parks). Sheehy later claimed the bullet was already in his arm due to an old wound he received while serving in Afghanistan, but he sought treatment for it the day of the hike due to fear it had been dislodged. During a November 2024 interview with Megyn Kelly, Kelly remarked that Sheehy’s story was “confusing.” [xvi]

FOREIGN POLICY:

In a November 2023 interview, Sheehy stated that America should offer “unconditional support” to Israel, saying, “Israel knows how to fight Hamas better than we do. They don’t need our help to do this. What they need is our unconditional support for their independence against all the hostile Muslim actors that have been trying to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth for almost 80 years now.” Sheehy has criticized a funding package from the Biden administration that provided aid to both Israel and Ukraine, arguing that while he “stand[s] with Ukraine,” he believes the conflict has turned into “a territorial stalemate.” [xvii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Sheehy has called the American healthcare system broken and blames the Affordable Care Act for “higher premiums year after year.” Sheehy believes that “more government control of our healthcare has only made things worse.” He supports increased competition and the ability to shop for services in the healthcare system. He also supports protecting Montanans with pre-existing conditions. [xviii]

DEMOCRACY:

In October 2023, Sheehy released an ethics pledge in which he committed to supporting term limits for members of Congress – three House terms and two Senate terms. He is also in support of passing legislation that ensures politicians who fail to pass a balanced budget do not get paid. Sheehy intends to ban individual stock, bonds, commodities, and all other securities trading by members of Congress and their spouses. [xix]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

Sheehy has been vocal about being anti-trans. Sheehy considers transgender identities to be an emblem of “the lunacy we’re living with in Joe Biden and Jon Tester’s America.” Sheehy often ended his stump speech with the message, “Safe streets. Cheap gas. Cops are good. Criminals are bad. Boys are boys. Girls are girls.” He has also stated that it is “embarrassing that we as a country now have to have a discussion about the fact that there are two genders.” An official spokesperson for Sheehy said in a statement to the Flathead Beacon, “You’re damn right Tim doesn’t want his two daughters or any girls being in the same bathroom or changing in a locker room with men, and it’s total bullshit that Democrats like Jon Tester are letting mediocre men compete against exceptional women in girls’ sports.” [xx]