The 2026 primary election kicked into high gear with two longtime incumbents, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, withdrawing from the 2026 Congressional races in March just as the filing deadline neared. On Tuesday night, their hand-picked Republican candidates — conservative radio personality Aaron Flint and former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme — both cruised to victory.
As of 10:53 p.m. the Democratic primary for the contest against Flint remained too close to call, with Ryan Busse leading Sam Forstag by less than two percent of votes according to the Associated Press.
The Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate was far less ambiguous. By 10 p.m., Alani Bankhead had claimed a win, touting a double digit margin over her closest competitor Reilly Neill, suggesting that the surge of late-stage PAC support for Bankhead was effective.
Here is a look at developments in other key Congressional and state Legislature races. (You can also see election results on this updating interactive map.)
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Live blog: Primary elections news, context and analysis
As Montana voters go to the polls and return ballots, MTFP reporters will be sharing insights and updates along the way.
WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR?
Kurt Alme secured the Republican U.S. Senate candidate seat and was the first race the Associated Press called shortly after the 8 p.m. poll closure. Alani Bankhead won the Democrat candidate spot at 9:49 p.m., according to the Associated Press. Bankhead beat out multiple opponents, including Reilly Neill, a former state lawmaker from Livingston.
Trump-endorsed candidate Aaron Flint firmly won the primary Republican seat for Western Congressional District over Christi Jacobsen, Al Olszewski and Ray Curtis, according to results from the Associated Press that came in shortly before 9 p.m.
Brian Miller won the Democrat spot for Montana’s Eastern Congressional District over opponents Sam Lux and Jonathan Windy Boy around 9:45 p.m., according to the Associated Press.
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What we know about Montana’s 2026 primary election results
Montana voters narrowed the field for November’s general election in races for U.S. Senate, both U.S. House seats, the Montana Legislature and the Public Service Commission. Here’s what we know about the winners, the closest contests and the results that could shape the state’s political landscape in the months ahead.
WHAT’S A PRIMARY, AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Primary elections determine which candidates from each party will advance to the general election in November, and so help define the future of their respective parties. And primaries, especially in a state as dominated by a single party as Montana currently is — carry outsized importance. When a seat is safely Republican, it’s the Republican primary that decides which — and what kind of — Republicans get sent to Washington, D.C., or to Helena.
WHAT SEATS ARE AT STAKE?
Twenty-one primary candidates are on the ballot across Montana’s six contested primaries for federal office. You can find information and news about each of them in Montana Free Press’ 2026 Election Guide.
Montanans are voting on three of the state’s four seats in Congress: two in the U.S. House of Representatives, and one in the U.S. Senate. Two of those seats — the Western District House seat and the Senate seat, are open races, meaning there’s no incumbent in the contest. One — Montana’s Eastern District House seat — has an incumbent: Troy Downing, who has no primary challenger in 2026 and will face one of three Democrats who are battling for the chance to challenge Downing in November.
Open federal seats are a relative rarity in Montana’s recent political history. In early March, four-term Western Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would not seek reelection, citing health problems. Days after Zinke’s withdrawal, two-term U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew his candidacy just minutes before the March 4 filing deadline. First-term Eastern Montana U.S. Rep. Troy Downing is running for reelection in his deep-red district. U.S. House seats have two-year terms. U.S. Senate seats have six-year terms.
In addition to federal races, this year’s ballot featured a statewide primary election for an open seat on the Montana Supreme Court. Because state Supreme Court races are nonpartisan, the top two primary vote-getters are automatically forwarded to the general election ballot. This year’s race for the single open seat on the state’s high court features only two candidates, Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson, both of whom will appear on the general election ballot regardless of today’s primary results.
There are also two Republican primaries for regional seats on the state Public Service Commission, which regulates the utilities that serve a majority of Montanans. Just after 10:00 p.m., the Associated Press called the District 1 race for Jeff Pattison, a farmer and rancher from Glasgow who served in the Montana Legislature during the early aughts. Shortly before 11 p.m., about 160 votes separated incumbent District 5 commissioner Annie Bukacek from Joe Dooling, a Helena area rancher.
Finally, Montanans are electing local representatives and senators in the state Legislature. All 100 state representatives are up for election, along with half of the state’s 50 senators. In the 2026 primary, party-loyalist Republicans are looking to oust members they consider insufficiently aligned with the state party platform, like legislative power broker Llew Jones. The results could have a significant impact on the balance and composition of power in the 2027 Legislature.
You can get more updates from Montana Free Press reporters on MTFP’s live blog.
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