U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, criticized his opponent, incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, for his ties to lobbyists during a debate on Monday.

Tester is trying to hold on to his Senate seat to continue representing the red state of Montana in a race that could determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress, and recent polls show Sheehy taking the lead just weeks before Election Day has.

During Monday’s debate, Sheehy knocked his Democratic opponent over his relationship with lobbyists in Washington, DC

“Senator Tester knows all about backroom meetings, he’s been holding them for 20 years… While I was fighting in Afghanistan, he was eating lobby steak in DC,” said Sheehy, a former US Navy SEAL.

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Tim Sheehy prepares for a debate with U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

According to the nonpartisan group OpenSecrets, lobbyists have donated more heavily to Tester than to any other member of Congress during this election cycle.

Tester is the last remaining Democrat to hold high office in Montana, where Republicans, including former President Trump, backed Sheehy’s campaign in hopes he could defeat the vulnerable Democrat and help the Republican Party regain control of the Senate win.

Republicans only need to win two seats in next month’s elections to gain a majority in the Senate. GOP Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia is considered a lock in his state’s Senate race against Democrat Glenn Elliott, meaning the Senate majority could run through Montana.

Trump won Montana by about 17 percentage points in 2020, and since the state is overwhelmingly Republican, Sheehy has often tried to link Tester to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the Republican candidate appears to be capitalizing on public dissatisfaction with the government. fight to address the influx of illegal immigration at the southern border.

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U.S. Sen. Jon Tester prepares for a debate with GOP challenger Tim Sheehy on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

“Democrats on the Hill refused to hold the government accountable for the largest mass migration in the history of this country,” Sheehy said.

However, Tester has refused to endorse Harris and has tried to distance himself from her during the campaign, skipping the Democratic National Convention in August when she was named the party’s nominee for president after Biden dropped out.

The Democrat has also criticized some of the administration’s policy decisions. This includes his opposition to the push for stricter pollution rules for coal-fired power stations and his call for more action on immigration.

“Look, I’ll be the first to tell you that President Biden has not done a good job at the southern border,” Tester said Monday.

Sheehy and Tester also addressed abortion, with the Democrat saying he wants to reinstate Roe v. Wade after the landmark ruling was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago, returning the power to make laws regarding abortion to the states was returned.

Tim Sheehy, left, prepares for a debate with U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, right, on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

The Republican acknowledged that comments he made last year about Native Americans were “insensitive” but refused his opponent’s request to apologize. Sheehy had told a group of laughing supporters about bonding “with all the Indians … while they’re drunk at eight in the morning” while working cattle on a ranch on the Crow Indian Reservation.

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“Yes, insensitive,” Sheehy said. “I come from the military, as do many of our tribe members. You know, we make insensitive jokes sometimes and probably inappropriate jokes.”

Tester urged his opponent, “Tim, the statement you made degrades Native Americans in this country. You’re a big guy, apologize.”

“Would you like to apologize for opening the border?” Sheehy shot back.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.