Kalispell rally backs Sheriff Brian Heino after endorsement split

KALISPELL, Mont. — Supporters gathered in downtown Kalispell as Sheriff Brian Heino pushed back after the local Republican Party chose not to endorse him in the Flathead County sheriff's race.

The rally started at 5:30 p.m. and drew many people backing Heino as election season moved closer. The event took place at a crowded coffee shop where community members and former colleagues spoke in support of his re-election.

Heino said the response reflected his connection to Kalispell and the wider Flathead Valley.

“In order to be a good community member, you have to give back,” Heino said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short also spoke in support of Heino during the event.

“He's the guy you want in this office, he's the guy we want leading the state of Montana as a sheriff,” Short said.

Former Kalispell Police Chief Doug Overman told the crowd why he believed Heino should stay in the job.

“One of the key parts of leadership – is knowing when it’s time to move on and when you're time is done. And I talk with Brian on a daily basis and that time is not today,” Overman said.

As the election approached, NonStop Local asked Heino why he believed it mattered for the person protecting the community to come from that same community.

“Part of my job as a representative, as the sheriff's office or just as a community member is to give back And I think that's probably the one thing that may separate me from from the other candidate, is that I really am invested in this community. I've been through 100 times, and that's how we got so much accomplished the last seven years. You know, like I said, SROs, K-9 programs, that was partnerships between the sheriff's office and our community that got those things across the board,” Heino said.

The election was two months away on Thursday, June 2nd. NonStop Local also reached out to the Republican Party of Kalispell to ask why it did not endorse Heino and had not heard back.