New reporting revealed that Montana Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s company, which he still owns and refuses to divest from, is still lobbying Congress—to the tune of over $300,000. The reporting also revealed that government contracts account for over 75 percent of Bridger Aerospace’s funding, creating “genuine conflict of interests.” The lobbyist money has gone both ways for Shady Sheehy, as previous reporting revealed that he raked in more than $200,000 from lobbyists and rubbed elbows with the “who’s who of K Street.”
“There’s no question that Shady Tim Sheehy is simply running for Senate to pad his own bottom line,” said End Citizens United Spokesperson Grace Silva. “His refusal to sell his $30 million stake in his company—when its biggest customer is the government—is alarming and should be disqualifying. Montanans shouldn’t have to wonder whether their senator will use their tax dollars to keep lining his pockets.”
Politico: What Sheehy’s Company Spends On Lobbying
Caitlin Oprysko and Daniel Lippman
08/06/24
Key sections:
- While Montana Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy tries to paint opponent Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) as a Washington insider, his old company Bridger Aerospace — which he is the largest shareholder of — is still lobbying Congress, Daniel reports.
- Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting and aerospace services company, was recently named in a lobbying disclosure, which shows that it had Collective Strategies and Communications and the firm’s Phil Hardy and Matt Gall on retainer to lobby on the House Interior Appropriations bill. Collective Strategies has worked since early 2023 for Bridger, which paid them $15,000 in the second quarter. Hardy in June 2023 also donated $3,300 to Sheehy’s campaign.
- Bridger previously retained Crossroads Strategies, paying the firm $370,000 from 2021 to 2022 to lobby on aerial wildfire suppression and management, as well as implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
- As of early July, Sheehy owned 10.4 million shares of Bridger stock, which are worth more than $30 million. The company’s biggest customer is the federal government, which provides around 75 percent of Bridger’s revenue.
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