Live updates from Montana’s 2026 election

The Flint watch party has begun at Brannigans pub in Kalispell, and it’s hard to get a feel for how how his supporters feel. The Flint team has sequestered the media in a separate room and is only allowing limited access to the party. The reporters here are working to advocate for themselves to secure access to report as the night unfolds, but access to Flint’s party remains mostly off-limits to journalists.

— Aaron Agosto reporting from Kalispell 

The Associated Press called Montana’s Eastern U.S. House District for U.S. Rep. Troy Downing. The Republican incumbent defeated Democrat Brian Miller, independent Michael Eisenhauer and Libertarian Patrick McCracken. This will mark Downing’s second term in Congress.

— Zeke Lloyd, reporting from Helena

Sisters Erin and Whitney Williams took the stage Tuesday night at Democrat Sam Forstag’s watch party where they spoke about their father, Pat Williams, the last Democrat to represent Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pat Williams won his last election in 1994 — the same year Forstag was born.

“We never imagined all those years ago that it would take this long to elect a Democrat to this House seat,” Erin Williams said.

— Nora Mabie, reporting from Missoula

At the Alme/Downing watch party at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Billings, the crowd is milling around, feeling good. Cowboy hats and Miller Lite are the headwear and beer of choice. Yellowstone County Commissioner Mike Waters and former Congressman Denny Rehberg are here. People are checking their phones for results and biding their time.

— Phoebe Tollefson, reporting from Billings

Local supporters of Ballot Initiative 194 fill the watch party at Brothers Tapworks in downtown Helena. Those in the crowd include former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who co-owns the brewery business, and Russell Cleveland, who ran unsuccessfully for Montana’s western congressional district in the June primary election.

— JoVonne Wagner, reporting from Helena

Independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar walked into his watch party at Cranky Sam Public House in Missoula a few minutes after polls closed to shake hands with attendees. Bodnar has so far declined to speak with press.

— Ellis Juhlin, reporting from Missoula

Michael Eisenhauer, the independent candidate for the Second Congressional District, is watching results come in at Magpie, a Great Falls watering hole. Local Democratic candidates and supporters have also gathered here just minutes before polls close.

— Matt Hudson, reporting from Great Falls

Polls are closed around Montana, but voters who are still standing in line will have their ballots counted. Elections administrators say they are working to tabulate absentee and in-person ballots as efficiently and accurately as possible. Stay tuned as preliminary results roll in.

— Mara Silvers

Things to know about that 16-county, Western U.S. House District: Democrats usually hold the majority in just five counties — Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Glacier, Missoula and Silver Bow, which was enough to bring Democrat Monica Tranel within 7,837 votes of Rep. Ryan Zinke in the 2022 midterm. Republicans carry the rest, with Flathead County doing the heavy lifting. The one county that swings between the two columns is Lake, which tends to end up in the column of whoever wins.

— Tom Lutey

At the watch party at DoubleTree hotel in Billings, emcee and local developer Don Sterhan welcomes Kurt Alme, Rep. Troy Downing and Sen. Tim Sheehy, among others.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight,” Sterhan said, adding that he can’t speak for others watching tonight’s results. “In this room, in this state, we’re going to have a lot of celebrating,” he said.

“Sen. Sheehy is about to become our senior senator for Montana,” Sterhan said as Sheehy takes the floor. “That didn’t take long.”

— Phoebe Tollefson, reporting from Billings

Minutes before polls closed, Democratic Western House candidate Sam Forstag took the stage inside the Florence Building in downtown Missoula. Wearing jeans, a belt buckle and a blue button up shirt, he told the crowd of more than 150 people that after talking to Montanans on the campaign trail, he felt “pretty damn hopeful.”

“It’s not too late to build a better world,” he said, as the crowd cheered.

— Nora Mabie, reporting from Missoula

Approximately 50 people milled about the Montana Club in Helena at a watch party hosted by Alani Bankhead, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Bankhead declined to answer questions from Montana Free Press, saying she was focused on enjoying the party.

— Zeke Lloyd, reporting from Helena

I’ll be covering Montana’s four-candidate U.S. Senate race this evening, with the expectation that Republican Kurt Alme will be the frontrunner. One thing I’ll be looking for is whether independent Seth Bodnar finishes ahead of Democrat Alani Bankhead, which would mark the second time in four years that an independent did better than a Democratic candidate in a federal election in Montana.

— Tom Lutey

I’m stationed at Cranky Sam Public House here in Missoula where campaign staffers are busy adorning the walls with posters of independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar. There are about two dozen people in attendance. Bodnar hasn’t made an appearance yet, but the room is beginning to fill with his supporters. His staffers told me that Bodnar will not be doing interviews with the press but will be in and out as the night goes on.

— Ellis Juhlin, reporting for Missoula

More than 100 people waited in line to register and vote at the Missoula County Elections Center in the last few minutes before polls closed. Kim Liles, near the front of the line, said she’d been waiting about an hour. A graduate student at the University of Montana, Liles said she’d been too busy to register before today. “It’s important to exercise our voice in politics, especially right now,” she said.

A Missoula County Sheriff’s deputy waited to take the last place in line at 8 p.m.

— Katie Fairbanks, reporting from Missoula

The third floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in downtown is lively at 7:20 p.m., shortly before polls close. People are sipping on drinks and snacking on appetizers. Sen. Tim Sheehy is here. Yellowstone County Commissioner Mike Waters is here. I’m sure many other familiar faces will pop up soon.

— Phoebe Tollefson, reporting from Billings

Election officials have seen things slow down in the last hour before polls close at the City-County Building. As of 7:07 p.m., about 15 residents remained in line to register, while a few finish voting at the polls.

— JoVonne Wagner, reporting from Helena

The crowds continue at polling sites in Missoula. One poll worker at the University of Montana said lines have been 15 people deep at all times Tuesday with no breaks. Everyone in line before 8 p.m. can still vote.

— Ellis Juhlin, reporting from Missoula

Chris Christiaens, Cascade County’s chief election judge, told me that he worked 25 hours straight in this role for each of the last three elections. Looking down a growing line of same-day registrants, he said he hoped that won’t be the case this year.

— Matt Hudson, reporting from Great Falls

MetraPark is the only in-person voting option for any Billings resident and the only ballot dropbox for the entire Yellowstone County, according to Elections Administrator Dayna Causby.

At 5:45 p.m., traffic in three lanes on Fourth Avenue North was backed up for nearly two miles as people tried to get to voting booths. Volunteers at the county courthouse directing people to Metra said that as of 5 p.m., 147 people were unaware they couldn’t vote at the courthouse today.

Causby said she’s always concerned about voter access and her team has discussed some traffic-flow improvements and additional ballot dropboxes for the 2028 election.

— Phoebe Tollefson, reporting from Billings