A crowd at a Republican rally in Montana groaned as Vice President JD Vance, campaigning for the party’s midterm candidates, mispronounced the name of Helena, the state capital.
Video of Monday’s rally in Belgrade, near Bozeman, shows Vance stressing the middle syllable, saying something like “Hel-EE-na,” as he introduced Republican Senate candidate Kurt Alme.
But the U.S. Forest Service’s pronunciation guide lists the name as “HELL-uh-nuh,” with the stress on the first syllable.
Montana radio station KMBR has counted the capital among the state’s most mispronounced town names.
“Now, Kurt is the son of two grateful school teachers,” Vance told the crowd. “… He knows what’s at stake. He is from Helena.”
“Sorry, he’s not from Helena,” Vance said after the line drew silence and prompted groans.
“Hell-ina!” he tried again, this time stressing the first syllable.
The correction drew a mix of laughs and groans. Vance held up a finger, then lowered it to pat the podium softly. He paused with his mouth open as cheers mixed with more groans.
“And! And!” Vance said as the crowd grew louder. “Thank you. I’m humble enough to admit when I’m wrong.”
The rally, held at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, came just over a week before the Nov. 3 election, Helena TV station KXLH reported.
Vance was there to rally support for Alme and Republican House candidate Aaron Flint, who faces a closer-than-expected race against Democrat Sam Forstag in western Montana, the station reported.
The stop followed visits from President Donald Trump, who rallied in Kalispell on Oct. 14, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who stopped in Bozeman on Oct. 20, the station said.
Vance held a rally in Nebraska on Thursday. He was scheduled to campaign in Kansas later Monday and travel to Michigan on Tuesday.
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