Montana

Tim Sheehy secures endorsement from veterans group in Montana Senate race

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Tim Sheehy secures endorsement from veterans group in Montana Senate race

EXCLUSIVE — A veteran advocacy group endorsed Tim Sheehy on Thursday in his quest to topple incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) during this year’s elections.

Concerned Veterans for America Action is backing Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, in one of the most high-profile Senate races of the 2024 cycle. Republicans, who are hoping to flip the seat to regain control of the Senate, see Montana’s red leanings as a prime pickup opportunity after the disappointing 2022 midterm elections. The Treasure State voted for then-President Donald Trump by 16 points in 2020.

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“As a decorated combat veteran who completed several deployments and countless missions overseas, Tim Sheehy understands the struggles our nation’s heroes face when they come home after serving their country,” Chris Enget, CVA Action senior adviser in Montana, said in a statement first shared with the Washington Examiner. “Unlike Senator Jon Tester, Sheehy won’t be a rubber stamp for President Biden’s failed agenda.”

“We obviously have really wanted to see an upgrade in Montana. Sen. Tester has been very much a hindrance to the things that we see are important for veterans and for the economy both,” added Russ Duerstine, CVA Action’s senior adviser, in an interview. “And even though he originally had supported the Mission Act, veterans and military family members have been impacted negatively by him undercutting access standards and community to care for veterans. And so many of our veterans are just stuck in this, this bureaucratic socialist medical system.”

Former President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan VA Mission Act into law, which scrapped the Choice Program and streamlined the process for access to community providers, in 2018.

Republican candidate Tim Sheehy and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT).

CVA Action is the nation’s largest grassroots group dedicated to electing lawmakers who champion policies that will benefit veterans and is backed by conservative billionaire brothers Charles and the late David Koch. It targeted more than 1,000,000 voters during the 2020 and 2022 election cycle. The group also endorsed former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential race earlier this month.

With the early endorsement of Sheehy, the group is hoping once again to mobilize on behalf of the former Navy SEAL, who may face a primary challenge from Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT).

Establishment Republicans have lined up behind Sheehy, including Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) in hopes of thwarting Rosendale’s anticipated Senate bid.

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), along with Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) have also endorsed Sheehy.

Republicans have pointed to Tester defeating Rosendale in 2018 as to why Sheehy’s chances of prevailing are higher compared to Rosendale.

“We have a primary race that we really wanted to see who has the best opportunity to defeat Sen. Tester in the fall. We think it’s Tim Sheehy,” Duerstine said. “And he not only has incredible credentials himself, he’s positioned I think, in our mind, to give us the best chance of delivering an upgrade in Montana.”

“I think highly of Rosendale. But honestly, it has a lot to do with the ability to win,” Duerstine further added.

Rosendale is eyeing launching his campaign just before the March 11 candidate filing deadline.

A Democratic super PAC pounced on the internal GOP division by spending millions of dollars hammering Sheehy. More Jobs, Less Government PAC, a pro-Sheehy super PAC, hit back with a six-figure ad buy against the attacks.

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“It’s fairly typical. When you can’t argue the facts you try to do things or say things to impugn the character or the capability of somebody. It’s not unusual,” Duerstine said. “We ignore that. We want to point back to the facts. We have a failed economy. We have failed energy policy and we have a failed VA healthcare system. … We’re not going to be distracted by some of the meddling that takes place from the other side of the aisle.”

Former Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson is also running in the GOP primary but faces little chance of defeating Sheehy.

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

43 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

13 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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