MT-SEN: Democratic legislators want a consolidated U.S. Senate race in Montana

Seventeen of Montana’s Democratic legislators signed onto a letter Wednesday asking for one of two U.S. Senate candidates to drop out of the race to unify support against the Republican candidate.

A three-way race featuring Democrat Alani Bankhead and independent candidate Seth Bodnar against Republican Kurt Alme “substantially increases the likelihood of a Republican victory through a divided center-left vote,” states the letter, first reported by the Montana State News Bureau.

“We recognize that asking either of you to step aside is an extraordinary request and not one we make lightly,” the lawmakers wrote. “Nor do we presume to decide who should continue. That decision belongs to the two of you. We do, however, encourage you to evaluate the objective indicators that consistently determine whether a statewide campaign can succeed.”

In addition to calling attention to the likelihood of splitting votes in the senate race — where Libertarian Kyle Austin is also a candidate – the lawmakers said their concerns extend down the ballot by dividing voters, volunteers, donors and allied organizations.



https://dailymontanan.com/2026/07/09/democratic-legislators-want-a-consolidated-u-s-senate-race-in-montana/