Supporters gather in Bozeman for Trump, Sheehy
Bridget Pack
(Missoula Current) Crowds packed Montana State University's field house to support former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.
Hundreds of individuals proudly wearing Trump-branded merchandise started lining up in anticipation of an event. Vendors set up along the streets, offering a variety of Trump-themed items, while flags bearing the Trump name and logo flew high above the scene.
Melody and her daughter, Jewel Hurley, drove from Helena to support Trump and the Republican Party.
“I feel patriotic right now and proud to be an American,” Jewel said.
Jewel expressed feeling very excited to vote for the first time. She thinks that Trump and Sheehy align with her Christian values. Her mother said she was excited to see her country back on track.
“Trump is honest; if he says he’s going to do it, he will,” said Melody.
Among the crowd are individuals who have shifted their support from the Democratic party to Trump. Nanette Nault was a registered Democrat until Trump's first year in office.
“I believe in ethics overall,” Nault said. “There are no ethics in the Democratic Party.”
Nault moved to Missoula in 2003 and opened a specialized dentistry clinic. She met Sheehy at a parade when he first announced his intentions of running. Nault says he is down to earth and who he says he is.
Nault is volunteering at the rally and says “liberal influences” are hitting Montana, and Republicans need to speak up and get out and vote.
Alongside her is Susan Renau, a Republican volunteer, who says many of the people attending the rally are not registered to vote, and she is there to help them register.
Blake Marnelle of San Diego stated that 2020 was the first time he had voted since 1984 when he voted for Reagan.
Marnelle is a Trump supporter who is trying to attend as many rallies as he can until the election. He wasn’t always a fan of Trump, but he became one after Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and ended the Paris climate agreement.
Trump is supporting Sheehy instead of rallying in a swing state in an effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and win back the house.
Trump was scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman.