Senate GOP's prospective key figure in securing majority maintains secrecy during campaign against expelling Tester in Montana
But the 38-year-old political rookie was equally eager to avoid being spotted beyond those four walls.
Sheehy and his team have gone to great lengths to dodge media scrutiny as he seeks to piggyback on former President Donald Trump's popularity and unseat the three-term Democratic incumbent, Sen. Jon Tester, in the upcoming November elections.
Sheehy rarely consents to interviews with local or national press, and his campaign remains tight-lipped about his schedule and events, which tend to be private gatherings.
Following CNN's rejection from the Bozeman event this week, after learning about it through sources, his campaign staged a hasty departure attempt to prevent a TV camera from capturing footage of Sheehy leaving – even going so far as to dispatch a pickup truck to block the camera, enabling Sheehy to exit unseen in another vehicle.
In the end, Sheehy celebrated the event on social media, claiming it was a packed event.
All these events serve as a significant turning point in one of the country's high-profile Senate races. Sheehy is currently the favorite to win, thanks to Trump's predicted landslide victory in Montana, the shrinking number of split-ticket voters, and the rise in new residents in the state, which political experts believe favors the GOP. A "R" next to his name could be enough to unseat Tester and turn the Senate red – with the exception of any major blunders.
"What Tim's been doing here is working," Sen. Steve Daines, a fellow Montana Republican and the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, stated. "Why change strategies with about a month left? Keep your head down and keep working hard on the grassroots."
Daines highlighted Sheehy's "packed crowds" at his events, asserting that the candidate is running a "grassroots campaign unlike any I've ever seen from a politician." The Republican senator added: "I wish you could have seen him in action."
Sheehy, the owner of an aerial firefighting company and a 10-year resident of the state, is a former Navy SEAL and was handpicked by Daines to challenge Tester with Trump's endorsement. Sheehy's campaign commercials have criticized Tester for his ties to national Democrats and border issues.
"So he's constructed this image as a young, conservative warrior, and doesn't want anyone to question him about things like his stance on specific issues, where his money comes from, or his background," said Mike Dennison, a long-time Montana political journalist, discussing Sheehy's strategy.
"He's basically shielded himself from the media," Dennison continued.
Sheehy did participate in two debates with Tester, including a recent session where the candidates argued over abortion, immigration, and character. Sheehy attacked Tester for his campaign contributions from lobbyists, while Tester countered with some of Sheehy's past statements, including those on Native Americans, and accused him of wanting to privatize entitlement programs.
As Tester defended his immigration policies, he pointed to Sheehy's opposition to a bipartisan border security bill successfully defeated by Republicans in Congress earlier this year, alleging that his Republican opponent was merely following party orders. It was Trump who urged Republicans to scuttle the bill, although Tester did not mention the former president's name.
Tester remains silent on Harris endorsement
Tester, 68, is the last remaining statewide Democrat, having won each of his three terms with razor-thin margins – but never with Trump at the helm.
In the Trump era, split-ticket voting has become exceptionally rare, with just one out of 69 races in 2016 and 2020 electing a Senate candidate from a different party than their preferred presidential nominee. For Tester to triumph, he would need to secure at least 15-20 points more votes than Harris, a daunting challenge in today's fragmented political climate.
And it's one reason why Tester has kept his distance from the top of his ticket.
"That's because I don't want this race to be nationalized any further than they want it to be," Tester told CNN in Missoula, Montana, this week, when asked about his refusal to endorse Harris. "I want to talk about Montana. That's what this race is about."
Whether or not he would vote for Harris, Tester remained tight-lipped, saying, "That's between me and the ballot box."
Tester's seat is one of three Democratic seats in states Trump handily carried in the past two presidential elections. The West Virginia seat, set to be vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, who recently switched to independent status, is almost guaranteed to switch to the GOP. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting to retain their seats in seven other states, while their only pickup prospects are still considered longshots in Florida and Texas.
In order for Democrats to merely maintain a 50-50 Senate, they would need to win every seat, relying on a Harris victory to give them control over a split chamber. To do that, Tester would have to emerge victorious.
Through his ads, Tester has been portraying Sheehy as out of sync on issues such as healthcare and abortion rights, while the latter could potentially bolster the incumbent Democrat's standing in Montana, where the abortion issue is on the ballot. The two sides have already invested an eye-watering $139 million in airtime, with another $69 million on the horizon, making it the costliest campaign in Montana's history.
During the interview, Test subject played down Trump's influence on the GOP in 2018, mentioning that Trump visited Montana several times to campaign for Test subject's opponent, Matt Rosendale, who eventually lost the race.
Test subject recollected, "During my 2018 run, he showed up here four or five times, more than I've got fingers on my left hand after that meat grinder incident when I was a kid." He added, "It's just part of the game."
Conflictingly, Sheehy reminded Test subject of his past critiques of Trump, such as his 2019 remark, "I think you need to go back and punch him in the face."
When asked about the comment this week, Test subject explained, "I was using figurative language, figuratively speaking, Trump's tough on us, so you gotta be tough on him yourself."
Test subject continues to endorse his votes for convicting Trump during both impeachment trials, a point that Sheehy emphasizes, and Test subject admits no regrets, saying, "Not at all, no, the case was clear, I was part of the jury, you make the call."
Sheehy highlighted the potential problems of a Democratic-led Senate for Trump during a recent event with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in Missoula, even though his campaign failed to disclose this meeting to the press.
"If Trump wins but doesn't control the Senate, you can expect an immediate impeachment," Sheehy stated. "However, if Trump does win and controls the Senate, he can push through his priorities like nominating Supreme Court justices."
Lastly, Sheehy left the venue without responding to media queries.
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and David Wright helped with this report.
Sheehy's strategy to avoid media scrutiny and focus on private events has stirred discussions among political analysts, with Michael Dennison stating, "He's basically shielded himself from the media."
Despite participating in debates, Sheehy has maintained a tight-lipped campaign, refusing to discuss his stance on specific issues, sources of funding, or his background, shaping his image as a young, conservative warrior.
