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Helena, Mont. –– Senator Steve Daines continued his pattern of misleading Montana voters in a new television ad from his campaign today. The ad repeats debunked claims about Governor Steve Bullock’s position on healthcare and cites an unreliable study supported by a front group for insurance industry and pharmaceutical lobbyists.

On Monday, MTN News noted that Governor Bullock does not support “government controlled healthcare,” but Daines continues to make that false claim in this new ad. The ad cites a biased study supported by the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, “a consortium of pharmaceutical, hospital and health insurance lobbyists,” that MTN News cast doubt on in the same story.

Daines also claims to “protect Medicare” in the ad, but he voted to raise the eligibility age for Medicare beneficiaries and turn Medicare into a voucher system. Daines has also repeatedly voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which experts said would likely lead to higher deductibles for Medicare beneficiaries and could lead to increased prescription drug costs for seniors. Daines has also voted with big pharmaceutical interests against allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

The new ad is just another desperate attempt to cover up Daines’ abysmal record on healthcare. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, Daines supports a lawsuit that would gut protections for over 152,000 Montanans with pre-existing conditions. The Washington Post fact-checker gave Daines “four pinocchios” –– a rating they only give out for the most misleading claims –– for saying that he will protect Montanans with pre-existing conditions. It’s no surprise that Daines has repeatedly voted to dismantle important health protections for Montanans, like Medicare — he has taken over $2 million dollars from corporate special interests, including over $300,000 from the insurance industry.

“Trying to scare Montana voters with misleading claims about healthcare during a pandemic is a new low, even for Senator Daines,” said Sean Manning, spokesperson for Montanans for Bullock. “The truth is that Governor Bullock has spent his career fighting for affordable, quality healthcare for all Montanans, while Daines has repeatedly voted to gut patient protections and take away affordable health coverage from over one hundred thousand Montanans. But Daines’ track record of favoring health insurance executives over everyday Montanans shouldn’t come as a surprise, since they’ve bankrolled his campaigns.”