HELENA, Mont. — Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead emerged Tuesday as the Republican and Democratic nominees for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat, setting up a three-way November race that could include independent Seth Bodnar pending signature certification.
Alme, twice appointed as U.S. Attorney by President Trump, was the first race called on election night, with the Associated Press projecting his victory at 8:23 p.m. — just 23 minutes after polls closed. He captured roughly 76 percent of the Republican vote over two lesser-known challengers. Alme entered the race within minutes of Sen. Steve Daines announcing his surprise retirement in March, with Daines publicly acknowledging he recruited Alme and worked to secure Trump’s endorsement for his chosen successor.
Bankhead, an Air Force lieutenant colonel and leadership coach, won the Democratic primary with approximately 44 percent of the vote, defeating former state Rep. Reilly Neill, who finished second with 33 percent.
The November ballot is expected to also include Bodnar, the former University of Montana president and retired Green Beret who submitted nearly double the required signatures to qualify as an independent. Those signatures are pending certification by Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, a process expected to be completed later this summer. Bodnar’s campaign has been run by former Democratic operatives and has relied on ActBlue for fundraising, raising questions about the true nature of his independent candidacy.
The race is widely considered a strong Republican hold in a state that has shifted sharply rightward in recent cycles.