The 2026 United States Senate election in Montana will be held on November 6, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Montana. Primary elections will be held on June 2, 2026. With no incumbent running, this is the first open seat since 1976 and the first in this seat since 1960.
Two-term incumbent Steve Daines, who was re-elected in 2020 with 55.0% of the vote, withdrew from the Republican primary just minutes before the primary filing deadline and endorsed U.S District Attorney Kurt Alme to succeed him.
Seth Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana, is running as an independent.
Montana is considered to be a red state at the federal level, having not voted for a Democratic president since Bill Clinton's plurality victory in 1992. Recently, the state has also been trending red on a statewide level, as Republicans flipped the governorship in 2020, and the Class I Senate seat in 2024.
The filing deadline for participation in primaries was March 5, 2026 at 5:00pm. At 4:52 p.m. Kurt Alme filed to run, and 3 minutes later Steve Daines withdrew. At 5:02 p.m, Daines announced his withdrawal and endorsed Alme. The last minute switch was seen as controversial. Dainesâ maneuver has been criticized by members of both parties. After the announcement, the Montana Republican Party announced they would not endorse any candidates in any federal races, saying it "supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates."
Steve Daines vs. Reilly Neill vs. Seth Bodnar<br />
Steve Daines vs. Seth Bodnar as a Democrat<br />