If you’re tired of campaign ads, you aren’t alone - so are several sheriffs around Montana, and one ad in particular has them upset.
It’s a full-page ad from U.S. Senator Jon Tester's campaign that appeared in several print 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.
The ads include a photo of a patrol car specific to each county.
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Sheriffs in several counties - including Park, Toole, Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Custer, Broadwater, Dawson, and Jefferson - have issued statements in recent days saying the ad falsely implies that they have endorsed Tester, and that it was published without their consent, using photos obtained without their permission.
Tester’s campaign says the ads are an honest representation of Tester's efforts to secure federal funding.
In a statement provided to MTN News, a campaign spokesperson said: "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."
A Tester spokesperson also noted that the federal funding highlighted in the ads 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.
Tester is facing Republican Tim Sheehy, a Gallatin County businessman, in a tight race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Sheehy's campaign provided the following 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."
