Montana hasn’t executed anyone in more a decade, and it’s unlikely to carry out a death sentence anytime soon. But you wouldn’t know that from watching the state’s US Senate race. In the hotly contested primary to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, one Republican candidate—former Judge Russ Fagg—has decided to make capital punishment a cornerstone of his campaign. “The death penalty in this case is being used as a vehicle to talk about one of the biggest issues to Republican primary voters.” Using television ads, media appearances, and campaign events, Fagg has hammered state Auditor Matt Rosendale, the presumed GOP frontrunner, over Rosendale’s opposition to capital punishment.