A Republican candidate in a race that could decide control of the U.S. Senate made disparaging comments about indigenous peoples at campaign fundraisers, according to recordings released to local media.
Tim Sheehy, a wealthy rancher who has been backed by Donald Trump in his bid to become Montana’s senator, repeatedly spoke at several meetings where he boasted of maintaining ties and ties to members of the Crow Reservation, the official home. from the indigenous Crow tribe.
In one clip, Sheehy says he ropes and cuts cattle with Crow members, calling it “a good way to bond with all the Indians when they’re drunk at 8 o’clock.”
On another recording, he says, “I was actually at Crow Res and if you want a hard crowd…you want that double heel shot, a Coors Light can on the side of your head.”
References to the throwing of Coors Light were recorded in three separate meetings, according to Char-Koosta News, which covers Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation. At one point, Sheehy says that flying cans are a sign of whether the Crow members like you or not.
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Each time, the comments elicited laughter from the audience, according to the recordings.
The outlet said it was still trying to find out the authenticity of the recordings, but recognized the date and location of two fundraisers organized in November last year.
The Guardian has contacted Sheehy’s campaign for comment.
Sheehy, 37, a former Navy Seal who moved to Montana 10 years ago, is trying to unseat Democratic Senate incumbent Jon Tester. The race is seen as potentially crucial to Republicans’ bid to retake the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority.
Revealing his comments could undermine his efforts. Native peoples make up 6% of Montana’s population and are home to seven reservations and 12 tribes. Native groups have accused both Democrats and Republicans of ignoring basic needs on reservations.
Polls show that the candidates of both parties are in a tight race. The latest polls of 13 polls released by the Hill give Sheehy a 3.5 percent lead in the state, which is heavily Republican.
Tester, a moderate and Montana native who skipped last month’s Democratic National Convention to focus on defending the seat he’s held for 18 years, has tried to paint Sheehy — who has partially funded his own campaign — as rich. external.
The GOP candidate’s comments about Crow members are seen as particularly embarrassing because the tribe has been seen as vocally pro-Trump. Americans have been a key constituency for Tester in his three previous successful campaigns, but he has been warned that their support is not guaranteed.
Calvin Lime, who lives on another indigenous reserve in the state, called Sheehy’s comments a “slap in the face” to Crow members.
“So they bring him there, work with him, they’re happy, they promote him, but behind closed doors they’re a drunk Indian,” he told the New York Times. “Behind closed doors you are actually considered lesser than.”
The Crow Reservation is located in three different counties in southern Montana and has a population of approximately 7,900.
News of Sheehy’s comments isn’t the first potentially damaging episode in his campaign. Last year, he was put on the defensive after sexist and racist Facebook posts he allegedly wrote came to light.
Insiders said the posts – which were made between 2006 and 2008 and have since been deleted – were “full of questionable photos” and included “lewd images of women, caricatures of Middle Eastern people and homoerotic jokes”.
