BILLINGS — If you’re tired of campaign ads you aren’t alone.
So are a lot of sheriff’s departments around Montana, and one ad in particular has a lot of them upset.
It’s a full-page ad from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's campaign that appeared in several newspapers across the state this week.
The ad boasts that Tester, a Democrat, secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for sheriff’s offices to hire officers and purchase equipment.
Those ads then include a photo of a patrol car specific to each county.
Sheriffs in several counties — including Park, Toole, Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Custer, Broadwater, Dawson, and Jefferson — have issued statements in recent days saying the ad implies that they have endorsed Tester, and that it was published without their consent, using photos obtained without their permission.
Tester is facing Republican Tim Sheehy, a Gallatin County businessman, in a tight race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Tester is seeking his fourth term in office
Harry Childs, a spokesperson for Montanans for Tester provided the following statement to MTN News:
“Keeping Montanans safe is Senator Jon Tester’s top priority, full stop. Jon knows that our first responders keep Montana’s rural communities safe, which is why he was proud to take feedback and input directly from law enforcement agencies across Montana and secure millions of dollars for local law enforcement in rural counties across the state. From hiring new police officers, to purchasing new equipment like bulletproof vests, to establishing task forces to tackle drug trafficking, Jon has fought to fund the needs of Montana’s first responders. Jon will always work with anyone to ensure Montana law enforcement has the resources they need to keep Montana the Last Best Place."
A Tester spokesperson also noted that the federal funding highlighted in the ad in question helps rural counties hire new officers, buy new equipment such as bulletproof vests and fund task forces to fight drug trafficking.
The spokesperson highlighted money that went to some rural counties, including Madison County, which received a $125,000 COPS Hiring Program grant for a new officer, and Broadwater County, which received $255,000 from the same program for a new officer and bulletproof vests.
Madison County Sheriff Duncan Hedges later contacted MTN and said the grant money was awarded to the City of Ennis, not the sheriff's office.
Sheehy's campaign also provided a statement to MTN News:
“Politicizing Montana’s brave men and women in uniform who risk their lives each day to serve our communities and protect Montanans is downright shameful and makes a tough job even harder," Tim Sheehy said. "Jon Tester doesn’t care about law enforcement, he only cares about getting himself re-elected and keeping the job that made him a multimillionaire. Jon Tester ought to apologize to the outstanding men and women of Montana law enforcement for politicizing the profession and trying to take credit for the work they do to keep our communities safe."
