by Guest Writer | Jul 10, 2026 | Democrats, Guest Articles, Independent, Working Class
Guest Post From Gallatin County
Joe Hancock, the Gallatin County Democratic Chair and President of the MSU-Bozeman chapter of MFPE-FOCUS #8521 was born and raised in Big Timber and served in the U.S. Air Force before returning to Montana. He is committed to strengthening relationships, finding common ground among urban and rural communities, and reestablishing Montana Democrats as the party of the working class.
Multiple people have asked me if the Gallatin Democrats would consider supporting Seth Bodnar, the independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, since Jon Tester has declared that a Democrat can’t win in Montana. I do not support Seth Bodnar’s candidacy. The mission of the Democratic Party is to support Democratic candidates for office.
Democrats across Montana are already struggling for resources to help local candidates after the consulting firm composed of former Democratic Party staff, Fireweed, pushed financial support to losing Republicans during the primary. Seth Bodnar is soaking up political donations that will be wasted on another destructive top-down campaign while county and state government candidates are left out in the cold.
Democrat In Disguise?
Seth Bodnar is trying to gaslight Montana voters, masquerading as an independent while actually being a milquetoast moderate Democrat. Despite characterizing himself as “building a different kind of campaign—powered by people who are done sitting on the sidelines and ready to fight for the kind of leadership Montana deserves,” his actions tell a different story. Seth Bodnar’s campaign is funded by prominent Democratic donors, endorsed by Democratic partner organizations, and operated by former Democratic Party consultants.
These consultants are unironically branding the Republican nominee in this race as “Washington’s hand-picked insider candidate, backed by the same partisan interests that have spent years ignoring working families.” Seth Bodnar was hand-picked by Tester and dodged a primary where he would have had to compete with stronger candidates to earn Montanans’ votes.
The Choice of An Aging Establishment
Seth Bodnar has not been focusing enough on Montanans. Instead, he has been hosting fundraisers in cities like Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Atherton, CA. His money comes from donors that know nothing and care not about what Montana’s working families need or deserve.
Seth Bodnar is the face of a new Know-Nothing Party led by his benefactors, Jon Tester, Max Baucus, and Marc Racicot. These retired politicians were relevant in a time when our state was stuck in a meaningless middle that ignored rural communities and alienated the voters who live in them.
A Uniparty State For The Future
Some hope that Seth Bodnar’s candidacy will lead to the end of the two-party system in Montana. That would only happen if the resulting fragmentation of progressive voters allows Republican power to galvanize, effectively making this a one-party state for the foreseeable future.
by Ken Toole | Apr 12, 2024 | Elections
U.S. Senate candidate, Tim Sheehy, touts his experience as an entrepreneur as one of the major things that qualifies him for a seat in the Senate. We’ve already pointed out the irony of the fact that his business, Bridger Aerospace, makes the vast majority of its money on government firefighting contracts. Now The Montana Free Press is reporting that Bridger Aerospace is “deeply in the red” in a thorough story using Security Exchange Commission (SEC) reports. https://montanafreepress.org/2024/04/09/u-s-senate-hopefuls-company-reported-losses-of-more-than-77-million-in-2023/
Sheehy Wearing Rose-Colored Glasses While Pulling Wool Over Investors’ Eyes
While the filings with the SEC clearly show a company in deep financial trouble, with losses of $77 million last year, Bridger Aerospace Investor Relations issued a glowing report announcing record earnings of $67 million in 2023 (while bemoaning the lack of wildfires last year). The report went on to say it had received record contract awards in 2023, including a $60 million exclusive contract with the Department of Interior. The report also asserts that the company is poised to grow over 80% in 2024.
However, the disclaimer in the Investor Relations Report says in pertinent part, “Certain statements included in this press release are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements, including for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.” We’ll save you reading the whole thing because it is quite long containing lots of wiggle words. Feel free to read it yourself at https://ir.bridgeraerospace.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/37/bridger-aerospace-announces-record-2023-results-provides
Sheehy’s Filing With the SEC Tells a Different Story
The SEC filing begins with a note from the Bridger Aerospace’s own auditors which states, “As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations, operating cash flow deficits, debt covenant violations, and insufficient liquidity to fund its operations that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.”
Montana Free Press quoted University of Montana accounting professor Terri Herron who examined the financial reports as saying, “Management concluded that they may not be around in a year.”
So Who Is On The Hook if Sheehy Goes Under? You are!
Well, actually people who live in Gallatin County. Of course stockholders stand to lose their investment but Sheehy is at risk of violating financial agreements resulting from a $160 million municipal bond agreement with Gallatin County which brought Bridger Aerospace’s long-term debt to $204.6 million. The bond came with covenants that Bridger Aerospace must have the ability to cover debt with cash in the amount of at least $8 million. If Sheehy defaults on the bond requirements, it appears Gallatin County could be on the hook.
Bridger Aerospace said in the annual filing that it is out of compliance with the required debt service amount, and that it likely won’t be in compliance in the next 12 months. At the time of the report, the company apparently had the $8 million in cash but the report stated that it probably won’t in the future, because interest payments of $18.4 million are coming due soon.
So, What Does It All Mean?
Of course all of this is complicated and confusing, so let us just boil it down a little for you. Sheehy has a business in which 88% of his total income comes from the government in the form of firefighting contracts. A big part of the way he has financed his operation comes from a Gallatin County bond offering. We assume that means a lower interest rate, because they are government issued bonds. Welcome to “entrepreneurship” Tim Sheehy style. Step right up to the public trough and proclaim your commitment to private enterprise.
Final Notes
In the short time the public microscope has been on Tim Sheehy, he has not measured up. In the last week he has admitted lying to law enforcement about an old bullet wound, and we have been treated to an inside glimpse of his business ethics. Unfortunately Montana voters don’t seem to care much about ethics, electing Ryan Zinke, Greg Gianforte, Matt Rosendale and Steve Daines, all coming from the cesspool the Republican Party has become.
This post has been written largely with the information uncovered by the Montana Free Press and reporter Arren Kimbel-Sannit. Though we did go through the SEC reports and Bridger Aerospace Investor Relations Report, the truth is we wouldn’t have understood most of it without Kimbel-Sannit’s reporting.
