Alani Bankhead (D), Kurt Alme (R), Kyle Austin (L), and Seth Bodnar (I) are running for the U.S. Senate in Montana in the November 3, 2026 general election. Alme, Bankhead, and Bodnar lead in polling and media attention.
On March 4, 2026, incumbent Steve Daines (R) withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Alme, who filed to run the same day. Bodnar also filed as an independent on the same day. With four candidates total, Montana Free Press' Tom Lutey wrote that the race would be a test of the question, "Can a well-financed independent candidate notch an unprecedented win by tapping the state’s large reservoir of voters who claim to reject party labels?"
According to the Daily Montanan's Keila Szpaller, "Bankhead has repeatedly been asked if she will step down to clear the way for Bodnar, who could appeal to some Republican voters in a red state." Bankhead said Bodnar was "absolutely the last person on the face of this earth I would ever drop out of this race for." Bodnar rejected Bankhead's calls to drop out of the race on the basis of what Bankhead described as "a pattern dismissing and discriminating against women and allowing a culture of discrimination" during Bodnar's tenure as president of the University of Montana, citing a gender discrimination lawsuit. Bodnar campaign representative Abigail Tracy said Bodnar took discrimination claims seriously and that "Seth is getting attacked from the left and the right because he will never pay allegiance to Party bosses or political elites." On July 8, 2026, 17 Democratic state legislators sent a letter to Bankhead and Bodnar urging them to decide which one would end their campaign: "Every week that passes makes it more difficult to unify supporters, consolidate resources and mount the strongest possible campaign for November."
