HELENA, Mont. — Montana Democratic Senate candidate Alani Bankhead announced Monday she will not withdraw from the November ballot, defying calls from state and national Democrats to clear the field. Her decision came hours before the state's deadline to exit the race, leaving the anti-GOP vote split between Bankhead and independent candidate Seth Bodnar.
Bankhead's continued candidacy makes the path to victory significantly easier for Republican nominee Kurt Alme. Recent polling shows Bodnar either leads or ties Alme in a direct contest. With both Bodnar and Bankhead in the race, Alme wins easily.
The refusal is a setback for a Democratic strategy aimed at consolidating opposition behind independent candidates in Republican-leaning states. Democrats in Senate races in Nebraska, Idaho and South Dakota have withdrawn their candidacies. House candidates in Alaska also stepped aside to allow independents to challenge Republicans head-to-head.
Political data site Split Ticket identified Montana, along with those states, as favorable ground for independent candidates when no Democrat runs. Those states share characteristics including low minority populations, fewer evangelical Christians and a high Republican baseline. Minority voters and evangelical Christians often tie their party preference to identity, making them less likely to turn out when their party is absent from the ballot.
Democratic Party leaders and allied organizations at the state level had pushed Bankhead to exit the race in favor of Bodnar. Just days before the withdrawal deadline, 22 Montana Democratic state lawmakers sent her a letter urging her to step aside.
Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana, drew endorsements from prominent Democrats. Former Democratic Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus publicly backed him. State service employees and public worker unions also endorsed the independent candidate.
Bodnar also secured support from outside the Democratic Party. Former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot, who endorsed Democrat Jon Tester in his losing 2024 reelection bid, threw his support behind Bodnar.
The financial gap between the two campaigns was stark. Bodnar raised more than $3 million; Bankhead's campaign took in $58,000.
Bankhead was unyielding. "I am in this race to win it, and I am staying in this race through Nov. 3," she said at a Monday press conference. "There is nothing that is going to force me from the ticket unless God himself tells me to drop out."
Some Bodnar supporters say they still see a path to victory. Tester, despite his endorsement of Bodnar, acknowledged the difficulty. "I think there's a chance for him to win, but I certainly think it complicates it," Tester said.
