HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s U.S. Senate race is entering its final stretch with millions of dollars in outside spending, a dispute over a television advertisement targeting Republican Kurt Alme and growing scrutiny of independent candidate Seth Bodnar’s record leading the University of Montana.
The four-way contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines includes Alme, Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin.
Outside organizations are becoming increasingly active as the general election approaches.
Independent PAC, a national political action committee supporting Bodnar, has reported about $1.8 million in spending in Montana for advertising, phone calls, text messages and canvassing. The group is affiliated with the Independent Leadership Council, an organization co-founded by former West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin that is supporting independent congressional candidates around the country.
Independent PAC has also financed an advertisement attacking Alme’s record during his tenure as U.S. attorney for Montana. The ad alleges that Alme declined to prosecute more than 70% of sex-crime referrals brought to his office.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee challenged the advertisement in a Sept. 17 cease-and-desist letter sent to Montana television stations. NRSC Deputy General Counsel Andrew Pardue called the claims “false and misleading” and asked stations to stop airing the commercial.
Unlike advertisements purchased directly by candidates, which broadcasters generally cannot censor, stations have greater discretion over whether to air advertisements purchased by independent political organizations.
One Montana media outlet reviewing the advertisement found that the underlying figures came from federal prosecution data but noted that a declined referral does not necessarily mean a prosecutor personally refused to pursue an otherwise prosecutable case.
The dispute illustrates the growing role outside organizations are playing in the race.
Bodnar has criticized the influence of money in politics and endorsed the Montana Plan, a proposed ballot initiative aimed at restricting corporate political spending. At the same time, outside groups have spent millions of dollars supporting his candidacy without coordinating with his campaign.
Bodnar is also facing renewed criticism over his eight-year tenure as president of the University of Montana.
A 2021 lawsuit brought by 18 female UM employees accused the University of Montana and Montana University System of sex discrimination, retaliation and maintaining a hostile work environment. The complaint included allegations involving decisions and conduct during Bodnar’s administration, although Bodnar himself was not named as a defendant.
The university settled the case in 2024 for $350,000. The settlement ended the litigation without a court determining whether the allegations were proven.
Bankhead has made the case an issue in the Senate campaign, arguing that Bodnar should be held accountable for what occurred under his leadership.
Bodnar has rejected that characterization of his record. His campaign has said women held seven of the university’s 13 academic dean positions by the end of his tenure, compared with one when he arrived, and that women accounted for 78% of employee promotions during his presidency.
Alme has similarly benefited from substantial outside support. Americans for Prosperity Action has spent more than $2 million backing him, while the National Rifle Association has endorsed his campaign and reported political activity supporting his candidacy.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also endorsed Alme, emphasizing his record in state government and his positions on taxes, regulation and economic development.
Alme, a former U.S. attorney and former director of Montana’s Office of Budget and Program Planning, has made affordability, federal spending and regulation central themes of his campaign.
A national political organization focused on artificial-intelligence policy has also announced spending in support of Alme and several other Republican Senate candidates.
Meanwhile, Bankhead and Bodnar have increasingly confronted one another as they compete for voters dissatisfied with the Republican nominee.
The two appeared together at a recent Missoula forum where they debated health care, immigration, government accountability and campaign finance before an audience of roughly 200 people.
Bankhead repeatedly challenged Bodnar over his policy positions, the outside groups supporting his candidacy and his record at UM. Bodnar has, in turn, criticized the millions of dollars in outside spending that helped Bankhead during the Democratic primary.
Bankhead has said that spending occurred without her involvement and has rejected calls from some Democratic officials to withdraw from the race and consolidate support behind Bodnar.
Bodnar has said he didn’t ask Bankhead to leave the race and has criticized efforts to pressure her or members of her family.
His candidacy has nevertheless attracted support from figures and organizations that have traditionally aligned with Democrats, while also drawing backing from Republicans and independents who argue that neither major party is adequately representing Montana voters.
That dynamic has made Montana one of the more unusual Senate contests of the 2026 election cycle: a Republican nominee with significant national-party and business support, a Democratic nominee resisting pressure to step aside, and a well-funded independent attempting to build a coalition across traditional party lines.