Kurt Alme wins Montana Senate race, holding seat for Republicans in three-way contest

HELENA, Montana, Nov 4 – Republican Kurt Alme has won the Senate race in Montana, keeping the seat in Republican hands after a three-way fight with independent Seth Bodnar and Democrat Alani Bankhead.

Alme declared victory shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, while Bodnar conceded just before midnight.

With about 384,000 ballots counted, Alme had 47 percent of the vote, and Bodnar had 39 percent, according to the Montana Free Press. Bankhead was in third place with 12 percent, followed by Libertarian Kyle Austin with 2 percent. Votes were still being counted, and those shares could change.

Alme will take the seat of Republican Senator Steve Daines. In March, just before the state’s filing deadline, Daines made a surprise announcement that he would not seek a third term. His decision opened the field and created an unusual opportunity in a state where Republicans have dominated recent statewide elections.

That timing gave Alme a clear path to the Republican nomination. Daines quickly endorsed him, as did President Donald Trump, who praised Alme as having “the highest level of aptitude and talent.” Trump’s support helped Alme consolidate Republican voters early in the race.

It was Montana’s first open Senate race since 1976, with no incumbent senator on the ballot in November. The lack of an incumbent allowed both parties and independent candidates to compete for the seat Daines had held since 2015.

Alme is a former United States attorney for Montana. Trump appointed him to that job twice. He has also served as the state’s budget director, and he leaned on both roles during the campaign. This was his first run for federal office.

He thanked voters in a statement and said he would focus on costs, community safety and protecting Montana’s way of life.

He also borrowed a line from former President Ronald Reagan, urging supporters to “raise a banner of bold colors, not pale pastels.” He said the state should aim for big goals, not just lower costs.

Alme ran a low-key campaign. He did appear at rallies with Trump, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, and he shared a stage with his rivals at a debate in Bozeman in October.

Super political action committees spent about $4 million on advertisements promoting Alme.

His main challenger, Bodnar, a former president of the University of Montana, ran as an independent. He was well funded and hoped to unite voters who did not want to support a Republican.

Bodnar wanted a clear one-on-one contest against Alme. But Bankhead, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and the Democratic nominee, refused to withdraw from the race. As a result, Democratic and left-leaning voters were divided between the two candidates.

In his concession speech, Bodnar congratulated Alme and his family. He said the outcome was not what his campaign had worked toward, but expressed pride in what it had accomplished.

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

It was the second time in four years that a Democrat finished behind an independent in a federal race in Montana. In 2022, independent Gary Buchanan finished ahead of Democrat Penny Ronning in the race for the state’s eastern House seat.

Polls had shown Alme ahead for most of the fall. A September survey gave him an 8-point lead over Bodnar, according to the Montana Free Press. Bodnar’s campaign released its own polls showing him in the lead.

Montana has leaned strongly Republican in recent years. Trump won the state comfortably in all three of his presidential campaigns. The state’s other senator, Tim Sheehy, is also a Republican, and several members of Alme’s campaign staff had previously worked for Daines or Sheehy.

Alme’s victory stood out on a night when Democrats picked up Senate seats in several Republican-leaning states.

Alme will be sworn in to the Senate in January.