Attack ads about Sheehy are disingenuous

In recent weeks, Sen. Jon Tester’s campaign has devolved into ad hominem attacks on Tim Sheehy, most of which have no relevance to the issues that are important to Montanans.

The latest of these unwarranted attacks came as a full-page ad in my local paper where the headline screamed “Sheehy’s plan closes Pioneer Medical Center.” I call horsepucky on that one! 

That ad is a near carbon copy to an attack ad directed at me in 2018. They claimed “John Esp’s (plan) could close this hospital.” Same hospital, six years apart, same disingenuous rhetoric. 

What the Democratic Party did not tell you back in 2018 was this: I was instrumental in advocating for, and getting that hospital built. I was devastated, at the time, by their baseless charges claiming I could, or would close our hospital with my one vote. The fact is, I dedicated years of my life to our little hospital and I am proud that I did.  

Fast forward to 2024, I’m certain the Sheehys feel just as hurt by the recent ads as I did, when those postcards hit my neighbor’s mailboxes six years ago. 

Tester and his dark money groups fail to tell you this: Several years before he went into politics, Tim and his wife, Carmen Sheehy, gave millions of dollars to the Bozeman area hospital to begin a pediatric specialty program that will save and improve the lives of many, many young children. Thanks to them, very ill area children can be treated in Montana close to their families and their home, instead of at some far away hospital in another state. That is something they and their community should be proud of. 

Tim and Carmen also gave a million dollars to help improve the trauma center in Billings. This upgraded facility will enhance the care, and the outcomes of the badly injured, and critically ill among our neighbors. 

This sounds to me like a family, a man and a woman, that I would be proud to call my neighbors. I’m guessing, if you got to know the Sheehy family better, you would feel the same. 

And then, consider this. In my two decades of service to the Montana people, I have served with roughly 600 different legislators. In that time, I could count on two fingers the number of sitting legislators that have outright lied to me. 

One of them served time in a federal penitentiary, and the other one was Jon Tester. Of those two, then Senate President Tester was the only one that looked me straight in the eye, shook my hand and told me: “You have my word on it,” and then completely backed water within a few days of that handshake.  

I have continued to work with Jon over the years, but I still can’t bring myself to trust him. His current campaign, built on class warfare and other horsepucky is designed to engender fear and mistrust in his opponent. I think we would be wise to look at that campaign with a jaundiced eye. 

Do you think that nearly 18 years in Washington has changed Jon, and if it has, has it changed him for the better? Do you think perhaps he has lost touch with your core values? Do you share his purported position that boys should be allowed to play girls sports? Can we believe him when he tells us he has tried hard to close the southern border? Does an “F” rating by the NRA reflect your values? 

I urge you to answer those questions for yourself.

I honestly believe that sending Tim Sheehy to Washington is a change for the better. I think he is right for Montana on the issues we care the most about. I think Tim Sheehy is just the breath of fresh air we need in politics. That is why I support him. 

Sen. John Esp, R-Big Timber, is chair of Senate Finance and Claims.