Montana Democratic candidate doesn’t make it into the top 2 after threatening voicemail gains attention

Helena Candidate’s Voicemail to Senator Causes Stir

A local candidate for city commissioner in Helena, Montana, has gained attention for leaving a threatening voicemail directed at U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), filled with harsh language and suggestions of a painful demise. Despite this, she did not secure a top position in the election.

Haley McKnight made headlines after a recording of a voicemail from July surfaced. In it, she expressed her anger following Senator Sheehy’s vote for a significant Republican tax and spending bill that upset many Democrats, including herself.

“Hello, this is Haley McKnight. I’m a voter from Helena, Montana,” she began. The voicemail, which was confirmed and recorded, escalated quickly as she called the senator a “coward and thief.” She accused him of depriving 17 million Americans of their healthcare, saying, “I hope that one day you get pancreatic cancer and it spreads through your body so quickly that it can’t even be treated.”

The voicemail didn’t just stop there. Throughout the nearly minute-long message, McKnight insulted Sheehy, even mentioning her views on his parenting and warning him not to cross paths with her. “I hope you die on the street like a dog,” she continued, adding that he would someday “regret this.” Her outbursts were tinged with personal insults, including hopes that his children “will never forgive you.”

In a subsequent interview, McKnight questioned why the voicemails were only recently made public. However, Sheehy’s office stated they were not aware of the message until now.

As McKnight’s comments echoed nationally, she prepared for local elections. The day of the election also featured Democratic victories in high-profile gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, signaling a shift in local and national sentiment toward Democrats. Yet, this blue wave wasn’t enough to elevate her campaign. McKnight ended up finishing third among four candidates, capturing just 20% of the vote, losing to Melinda Reed and Ben Rigby, who earned 36.5% and 31.2% respectively.

When interviewed about her voicemail, McKnight was non-committal about her wording, stating, “no comment.” She argued that her aim wasn’t to threaten but to highlight the suffering caused by the senator’s policies. “I wanted to drive home the suffering of people I know because of his policies,” she said, justifying her anger as legitimate. She also criticized Sheehy for allegedly focusing more on blocking the release of the Epstein files rather than addressing the challenges faced by citizens in Montana.