Republican Kurt Alme wins race for U.S. Senate seat

The Associated Press called the four-way race for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat at12:54 a.m. Wednesday morning, with 78% of the vote counted. Alme had 47.7% of the vote at the time of the call. Runner-up independent candidate Seth Bodnar had 38.6%, and Democrat Alani Bankhead had 11.9%. Libertarian candidate Kyle Austin trailed with 1.8% of the vote.

Alme had declared victory shortly after 11:30 p.m. and Bodnar conceded shortly before midnight.

“Remembering Ronald Reagan, let’s raise a banner of bold colors, not pale pastels,” Alme told a Billings audience at the DoubleTree Hotel. “Let’s proclaim again a dream of an America that will be a shining city on the hill. With confidence, let’s work together to pursue big goals, not just affordability, but creating greater opportunity for everyone.”

“We just showed Montana, and the country, that there’s a different path forward for our politics,” Bodnar said in a press release. 

The result marked the second time in four years that a Democrat finished third behind an independent in a Montana federal election. Independent Gary Buchanan finished ahead of Democrat Penny Ronning in Montana’s Eastern District U.S. House race in 2022.

The contest was Montana’s first open U.S. Senate race since 1976 with no incumbent on the general election ballot. The race got off to an unusual start March 4, when incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines withdrew his candidacy minutes before the filing deadline, clearing a path through the Republican primary for Alme, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Montana who was appointed to that position twice by President Donald Trump.

Alme faced two minimally funded opponents in the Republican primary and entered the general election with a campaign staffed by veterans of Daines’ campaigns and Sen. Tim Sheehy’s staff. Alme also received substantial support from Republican-aligned political committees. By Oct. 22, his campaign had reported about $818,000 in PAC contributions and nearly $390,000 from leadership PACs and transfers from authorized joint fundraising committees.

The Republican ran a low-profile campaign and appeared once onstage with all three of his principal opponents, during an Oct. 11 debate in Bozeman. He held no major press events aside from participating in rallies featuring Trump, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Those events also sought to boost House candidate Aaron Flint, who conceded to Democrat Sam Forstag Tuesday night.

While Alme’s exposure to voters came largely through events not advertised to the general public, super PACs spent $4 million on ads promoting his candidacy.

While Democrat Alani Bankhead and independent Seth Bodnar competed for non-Republican voters, Alme emphasized his experience as a U.S. attorney and former state budget director.