Veterans issues are getting top billing in Montana’s U.S. Senate race. With an incumbent who chairs Senate Veterans Affairs and a former Navy Seal challenger, former service members could play an important role in the election.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester recently rallied a specific group of supporters in Kalispell.
“I take my instructions from veterans,” Tester said.
Two dozen veterans met with the incumbent on a Friday night to launch “Veterans for Tester” as he seeks a fourth term. The campaign, with 150 former service members signed on, includes statewide TV and digital ads.
Tester has long focused on veterans issues, although he didn’t serve in the military. But he leads the Senate Veterans Affairs committee.
Tester’s Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy, is a former Navy Seal. His wife, Carmen, was in the Marine Corps. Being a combat vet is core to his identity.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls. Doesn’t make me better than anybody else. Doesn’t make me deserve this office for free. But it does mean I know what it takes to fight for this country,” Sheehy said.
Veterans issues are at the forefront of Montana’s U.S. Senate race, which could decide control of the upper chamber. Tens of millions of dollars are pouring in on both sides.
Regardless of Tester’s and Sheehy’s personal ties, focusing on veterans issues is vital for Montana candidates as veterans make up roughly 8% of the state’s population – one of the largest per capita populations in the country.
University of Montana political scientist Christopher Muste says it makes strategic sense that Republicans recruited Sheehy to compete with one of Tester’s strengths.
“The Republican Party in Montana heavily recruited Sheehy as a veteran, even though he has no experience running for public office, in part because they thought Sheehy would be able to cut into Tester’s support among veterans,” Muste said.
Muste says that while veterans make up a diverse voting block, they tend to lean Republican. He says it makes strategic sense for Tester to run on veterans issues in a state that has become increasingly conservative in recent years.
Tester often focuses on his track record of oversight of the VA in the Senate.
Shannon Razsadin, co-founder of the nonprofit Military Family Advisory Network, said the organization found in a survey last year that people trust the VA now more than they used to.
“We’re seeing that people are turning to VA health care more and more, and that their experiences with the health care they’re receiving have improved,” Razsadin said.
However, Razsadin said veterans are still struggling to access mental health care, with the high cost of housing and food insecurity.
Sheehy says Tester has had three terms to address challenges service members face – but hasn’t done enough. He points to the more than 35,000 veterans experiencing homelessness, appointment delays with the VA and mental health crises. Here’s Sheehy speaking at the recent state GOP convention.
“Jon Tester runs on veterans. He panders to veterans every single day. And you know what, I’m so goddamn sick of hearing politicians talking about taking care of veterans when we have the highest suicide rate ever. Ever,” Sheehy said.
According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of veterans who died by suicide peaked in 2018, fell in 2020 and began to rise again in 2021.
At a recent event with the American Legion in Glasgow, Sheehy took a softer stance. He spoke about a veteran he knew who died by suicide, and said veterans can’t blame the VA or the federal government for the high suicide rate. He said veterans need to support one another.
When MTPR asked for clarification, Sheehy’s campaign said the federal government isn’t doing its job to get veterans the timely, quality care they need, and it needs new leadership.
Tester often highlights his work to improve health care access for vets. His headlining policy is the PACT Act, which expanded health benefits for millions of toxin-exposed veterans.
But he says he knows some veterans are still struggling. For example, many vets say they don’t get timely mental health care through the VA or approval to see non-VA mental health providers closer to home.
“We still got more work to do within the VA. But the truth is we’re going to continue to work to make sure it meets the needs of the veterans out there that served this country,” Tester said.
While Tester may be plagued by persistent challenges at the VA, Sheehy has had to face questions about his own record. A bullet wound in Sheehy’s forearm came under scrutiny this year when he admitted to lying to a Glacier National Park ranger about how he was injured.
Sheehy has said he was protecting his platoonmates and declined to release medical records that could confirm when he was injured.
Montana veterans now must decide whether to continue to trust Tester to represent their interests in Congress, or trust Sheehy to do a better job.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
