Montana Republican candidate Tim Sheehy caught on camera talking about ‘drunk Indians at 8 a.m.’

Indigenous Vote 2024.Char-Koota NewsThe official news publication of the Flathead Indian Reservation published an article Thursday containing an audio recording of Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy making racist and derogatory comments about Native Americans.

In an audio clip recorded at a fundraiser on November 6, 2023, Sheehy brags about practicing roping and tagging with members of the Crow Nation. He says it’s “a great way to bond with the Indians while they’re drunk at 8 o’clock in the morning.”

Audio – Tim Sheehy – Shelby Event

Four days later, in a speech at a campaign event in Hamilton, Sheehy told the crowd that he had marched in the Crow Fair parade. “They’ll let you know if they like you or not, if they have Coors Light cans flying over your head … They respect that,” another audio clip said.

Audio – Tim Sheehy – Hamilton

Sheehy has a history of talking about the Crows, Char-Koosta said. At other events, Sheehy has imitated Crow tribesmen who called him “white boy” and threw Coors beer cans at his head when he missed a double-heel shot at their rodeo.

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Sheehy is in a tight race against U.S. Senator Tester (D-MT), a third-term member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. As of a Friday, August 30, 2024, article, Sheehy leads the race by 3.5% in an average of 13 polls, according to The hill.

In Montana, there are xx federally recognized tribes. And, according to Four Directions Native Vote, the state has 74,130 Native Americans of voting age.

Native News Online reached out to the Sheehy for Montana campaign for comment. As of press time, there had been no response.

About the Author: “Levi \”Calm Before the Storm\” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Native News Online. Rickert is the recipient of the 2021 Native Media Award for Best Column in Print/Online from the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at [email protected].”

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