Montana’s U.S. Senate race entered a turbulent new phase as the national Democratic Party’s campaign arm publicly declared it would not support the party’s own nominee, a major veterans organization endorsed independent candidate Seth Bodnar, and President Trump weighed in to attack Bankhead on social media — all while both candidates insisted they were staying in the race.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee dealt the most stinging blow to Bankhead’s campaign, with executive director Devan Barber telling Semafor that the organization “partners with viable campaigns who have a path to victory, which Ms. Bankhead does not.” The DSCC declined to comment on Bodnar directly, but the statement amounted to a tacit acknowledgment that the party’s own nominee has been abandoned by its national campaign infrastructure. Bankhead has raised just $58,000, compared with more than $3 million for Bodnar, who has nearly $1 million cash on hand.
Bankhead had already written a guest column in the Flathead Beacon calling out the DSCC for its lack of support. Her campaign said it had no comment on the DSCC’s statement. She later posted to Facebook that the DSCC is run by a former staffer of Jon Tester — the last Democrat to hold federal statewide office in Montana, who has endorsed Bodnar.
Despite running as an independent, Bodnar’s Democratic ties run deep. He was previously registered as a Democrat, has donated exclusively to Democratic candidates, raises money through ActBlue — the fundraising platform used overwhelmingly by Democratic candidates and organizations — and his campaign is staffed by Democratic consultants who formerly worked for Tester. Former Democratic Sen. Max Baucus has also endorsed him.
Critics, including Bankhead, have also pointed to a $350,000 settlement the University of Montana reached in January with 18 plaintiffs who alleged sex-based discrimination during Bodnar’s tenure as president. The lawsuit, first filed in 2021, alleged that Bodnar perpetuated a “good ol’ boys club” culture that created wage, promotion and opportunity gaps for women. Three of the original four plaintiffs left the university after Bodnar became president in 2018.
“As the leader of the University of Montana, Seth settled a lawsuit with 18 female plaintiffs for sexual discrimination to the tune of $350,000,” Bankhead said in remarks aimed at Democratic women.
VoteVets — which describes itself as the largest progressive veterans organization in the country and has historically supported Democratic candidates — endorsed Bodnar, saying he was “best positioned to run and win” in Montana. Both Bodnar and Bankhead are military veterans.
Trump weighed in on Truth Social, doubling down on his support for Republican nominee Kurt Alme and launching his first public attack on Bankhead since the primary, characterizing her as a “Radical Left Democrat” who supports high taxes, open borders and other positions he described as extreme. When asked for a response, a Bankhead spokesperson offered a sharp retort: “I’m honored to be denigrated by an adjudicated rapist. It means I’m doing my job.”
The developments pile on top of a mounting pressure campaign. Longtime Montana Democratic leader Carol Williams recently called publicly for Bankhead to step aside, characterizing her in a letter as dishonest about her record and disrespectful to working-class Montanans. Earlier this month, 17 Democratic state lawmakers sent a letter urging the two candidates to decide which was better positioned to challenge Alme.
Despite all of it, both candidates have said they were not going anywhere. Bankhead told MTN News she had received 48,000 votes in the Democratic primary while Bodnar received zero, and that she would not disrespect those voters by withdrawing. Bodnar, campaigning in Anaconda, said he was focused on winning the race and was building momentum across the state.
Inside Elections has moved the race from “Likely Republican” to “Solid Republican” since Bankhead vowed to remain in the contest, and Cook Political Report rates it “Solid Republican” with a partisan voting index of R+10.
Bodnar and Alme have both begun airing TV ads this month. Bankhead has not yet launched a TV ad campaign. The last day any candidate may withdraw from the general election is August 10.
Alme’s campaign said in a statement that he was continuing to barnstorm the state, pointing to Trump’s endorsement, his Montana roots and his record on taxes, law enforcement and border security.
