MISSOULA, Mont. — We’re less than 40 days away from the November general election, and all eyes are on the battle for the U.S. Senate in Montana, where Republican candidate Tim Sheehy is taking on incumbent Senator Jon Tester.

Ahead of their second debate Monday night, Sheehy spoke at the Save Big Sky Rally. It was a packed house at the Dennison Theater on the University of Montana campus.

The event, hosted by political activist Charlie Kirk, touched on some of Sheehy’s top talking points, including closing the border and the importance of the Republican Party gaining control of the Senate.

Kirk, a conservative political activist, is the president and founder of Turning Point USA and has visited college campuses across the country. The nonprofit is currently on its You’re Being Brainwashed tour.

At one point during the meeting, two people were escorted out after saying Sheehy was racist. Their chants were drowned out by the crowd shouting “USA.”

“Missoula goes to Missoula,” Kirk said. “More than a thousand people gathered, two maniacs shout something, the front page of the newspaper says ‘mass protest’. These people are so dishonest.”

Soon after, another audience member was kicked out: a prominent Wall Street short seller, Marc Cohodes, who said Bridger Aerospace was headed for bankruptcy.

“That guy is shorting our stock,” Sheehy said as Cohodes was escorted out.

“He’s accusing me of shorting Bridger stock, but I’m not doing that,” Cohodes told NBC Montana. “Bridger is going to fail. Unfortunately, and because of him, it will fail.”

Outside the event, there was a small protest with people calling for an apology from Sheehy after controversial comments about Native Americans were leaked to the media.

Cohodes said he has tried to talk to Sheehy one on one, but has been ignored.

“I’m trying to come see him,” Cohodes said. “I tried to come talk to him, but as soon as I got up, his thugs had me taken.”

NBC Montana attempted to speak with Sheehy after the event, but we were denied an interview.