Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s disparaging remarks about the Crow Tribe reflect a discriminatory and racially prejudiced belief about all Native Americans, and they are “highly unprofessional,” said Crow Tribe of Indians Chairman Frank Whiteclay in a September 8 letter.

The racially tinged statements, which referred to members of the Crow Tribe as being “drunk at 8 a.m.,” perpetuate harmful stereotypes and also contain misinformation, said the letter.

“It is crucial for public figures to promote unity and respect for all communities, and such remarks undermine that goal,” Whiteclay said in the letter.

Sheehy’s remarks were first reported by the Char-Koosta News of the Flathead Indian Reservation.

In the recordings, obtained and posted online by Char-Koosta, Sheehy described his ranching partner and friend, Turk Stovall, as “a Crow Indian,” and said his involvement with the tribe means he bonds with “all the Indians” who are “drunk at 8 a.m.” at the annual parade.

Crow Tribe on Tim Sheehy: ‘Disparaging and degrading’

Leaders of the Crow Tribe are speaking out against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.

Native Vote

But the chairman said Stovall is not an enrolled Crow Tribal member, Sheehy does not lease tribal land, and he said Sheehy also mischaracterized the Crow’s annual celebration and its cultural heritage. (Stovall could not be reached for comment through Facebook, but in a post in June 2023, he refers to Sheehy as a “friend and fellow rancher” and lends him support.)

“Sheehy also states, ‘Riding in the Crow Parade, they’ll let you know if they like you or not if Coors Light cans are flying by your head.’ The Absáalooke Nation has never had beer cans flying at anyone’s heads during our cultural celebrations,” Whiteclay wrote; the letter addressed the remarks Sheehy made, although it wasn’t addressed to anyone in particular.

In a race that’s drawn national attention and tens of millions of dollars, Sheehy is campaigning to try to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, the only statewide elected Democrat in Montana.

Tester is running for a fourth term, and a recent poll said Sheehy is in the lead.

Sheehy does not appear to have issued a public apology for his earlier remarks, and a spokesperson for Sheehy’s campaign did not respond to an email sent late Tuesday afternoon.

Montana is home to 12 tribes and seven reservations, and Native Americans make up roughly 7% of the state population.

Last week, the Crow Tribe secretary for the executive branch Levi Black Eagle told MTN News that Crows can handle “good natured ribbing,” but Sheehy’s comments perpetuate racist stereotypes, and the ranching families he knows are strong workers.

“I know that they don’t start their day with a can of beer,” Black Eagle told MTN News.

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The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council is hosting a press conference in Billings, Montana, on September 12, 2024.

Native Vote

The Montana American Indian Caucus earlier condemned the remarks by Sheehy, and a representative of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council said Native Americans want more than an apology, they want action.

However, Tom Rodgers, with the council, said Sheehy is “disconnected from the poorest people in the U.S.” and couldn’t secure trust until he was “on a journey that empathizes with our experiences.”

The letter from Crow Chairman Whiteclay also said Sheehy is “out of touch with Indian Country and out of touch with Montana Tribes.”

“Native Americans make up over 7% of the state’s population and represent one of the largest ethnicities serving in the United States Armed Forces per capita,” said the letter; Sheehy is a military veteran. “Tim Sheehy’s racial remarks about the Crow Tribe and Indian Country are deeply troubling and unacceptable.”

In the letter, Whiteclay also described the parade Sheehy referenced in his comments and the state of Montana, “rich in Native American culture and heritage.”

“Our state has tens of thousands of proud and honorable Indigenous peoples,” said the letter. “We celebrate our heritage through numerous diverse cultural and religious customs.

“The Crow Fair Powwow is an event in which the Great Crow Nation honors Absáalooke culture and tradition … Crow Fair is a time to celebrate the Crow way of life and a time to give thanks with prayers and blessings for the coming year.”

The U.S. Senate race in Montana is drawing national attention because political control of the Senate hangs in the balance in the November election.

Sheehy was hand-picked by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to unseat Tester.

Tuesday, the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said his top priority this November is defending incumbents, and he put Tester as one of the top people on his list.

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