GOP Candidate Ends Dem Senator With One Line

By
Rachel Stevenson
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This week’s Montana Senate debate was nothing short of a slugfest, and Republican candidate Tim Sheehy wasn’t pulling any punches. His opponent, Sen. Jon Tester, found himself on the receiving end of some hard-hitting jabs about his cozy relationship with Washington lobbyists. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, went right for the jugular, calling out Tester for being the top recipient of lobbyist cash in the Senate—while Sheehy was off fighting in Afghanistan.

“Sen. Tester knows all about backroom meetings. He’s been taking them for 20 years,” Sheehy said during the debate. “While I was fighting in Afghanistan, he was eating lobbyist steak in D.C.” That one-liner left quite the mark, especially when Sheehy backed it up with some cold, hard data. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Sheehy shared a screenshot showing that Tester was, in fact, the number one recipient of lobbyist money in the 2023-2024 cycle. So, while Sheehy was serving his country, Tester was cashing in.

It’s not like this is a new revelation, either. In June, The Washington Free Beacon reported that Tester took more money from lobbyists than any other senator in 2023. But that didn’t stop Tester from running ads accusing Sheehy of being “shady” for accepting lobbyist donations. Pot, meet kettle. Tester has taken over $458,000 from lobbyists in the last year, which outpaces even his Democratic colleagues. But yeah, Sheehy’s the shady one, right?

Tester is up for re-election in a red state, making him one of the most vulnerable Democrats in this election cycle. Montana, a state that went for Trump by 17 points in 2020, isn’t exactly fertile ground for the left these days. Tester knows this, which is probably why he’s been desperately trying to distance himself from the Biden-Harris administration. He even skipped the Democratic National Convention, where Harris was nominated after Biden bowed out. The irony of Tester trying to shake off his connection to Biden while voting for the administration’s policies in D.C. is not lost on anyone.

During the debate, Sheehy didn’t just stick to lobbyist money. He tied Tester to the broader failures of the Democratic Party, hammering him on immigration and economic issues. Tester, for his part, tried to thread the needle by criticizing Biden’s handling of the border, but Sheehy wasn’t buying it. “Will you apologize for opening the border?” Sheehy fired back when Tester tried to press him on another issue. That’s the kind of quick-witted response that leaves a lasting impression, especially in a state where illegal immigration and the economy are hot-button issues.

Tester might still be trying to have it both ways—criticizing Biden’s policies while simultaneously supporting them when it counts—but voters in Montana are no fools. With Republicans needing just two seats to reclaim the Senate, Tester’s seat is a key target, and Sheehy’s strong debate performance puts him one step closer to flipping Montana red once again. If Sheehy keeps this up, Jon Tester might soon be enjoying that lobbyist steak in early retirement.

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