Big Sky Times

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has announced its endorsement of Tim Sheehy, awarding him an "A" rating for his support of Second Amendment rights. Sheehy is running against incumbent Democrat Jon Tester, who received an "F" rating from the organization.

"I will always defend Montanans’ right to keep and bear arms and ensure this God-given right is never infringed upon. I proudly fought for this country overseas to protect our freedoms, and as your next U.S. Senator, I will never back down from Joe Biden, Jon Tester, and the radical left who want to take away our constitutional right to keep and bear arms," said Sheehy in a June 3 news release. He added, "Every single Montanan should take note that Jon Tester is the true enemy of gun owners’ rights because he supports the radical liberal Obama-Biden gun-grabbing agenda — that’s why the NRA gave him an F Rating. Tester is a complete FAILURE on the Second Amendment. Tester has also sold out Montana as the #1 recipient of lobbyist cash — taking more lobbyist cash than even Crooked Joe Biden."

According to Sheehy's campaign, the NRA endorsement is not his only significant backing this year. In a news release issued on June 3, Sheehy shared an endorsement from former President Donald J. Trump. The press release included a screenshot of a post on X from Trump's account.

"Tim Sheehy is an American Hero and highly successful Businessman from the Great State of Montana. He is strongly supported by our incredible Chairman of the NRSC [National Republican Senatorial Committee], Steve Daines, and many other patriotic Senators and Republicans who have endorsed our Campaign to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! In this instance, Tim is the candidate who is currently best-positioned to DEFEAT Lazy Jon Tester and Regain the Republican Majority in the United States Senate," wrote Trump in the undated screenshot.

Sheehy is a combat veteran and entrepreneur with several deployments as a Navy SEAL officer and team leader in South America, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Pacific region, according to his official biography. He founded Bridger Aerospace in 2014 and took it public on NASDAQ in 2023. Additionally, he led Ascent Vision Technologies' growth, which is a sister company to Bridger Aerospace.