HELENA — Montana has one seat in the U.S. Senate and two seats in the U.S. House up for election in 2026. All three positions will have contested races in the June primary. See links to MTN's full coverage of all of these races below:
U.S. SENATE:
With Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrawing from his race for reelection just before the end of the candidate filing period, Montana will have an open Senate race for the first time in more than a decade. Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians will all have contested races, while former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar seeks to run as an independent.
Republicans:
Daines and other top Republicans quickly endorsed former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme to succeed him in the Senate. However, there are also two other names on the Republican primary ballot: retired business owner Lee Calhoun and environmental contractor Charles Walking Child.
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Democrats:
Five Democratic candidates filed to run for U.S. Senate, making it the most crowded congressional primary in Montana this year. The candidates are Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead, tribal historic preservation officer Michael Black Wolf, retired business owner Michael Hummert, arts administrator Christopher Kehoe and former state lawmaker Reilly Neill.
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Libertarians:
There's only one contested third-party primary in Montana this year, as pharmacy owner Kyle Austin and aviation mechanic Tom Jandron compete for the Libertarian nomination for U.S. Senate.
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1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT:
Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke is not seeking another term in Congress, leaving an open House seat in the 1st Congressional District, which covers western Montana. National Republicans and Democrats have both gotten involved in the race this year. In addition to the major-party candidates, Libertarian Nick Sheedy will be on the general election ballot, and independent Kimberly Persico is also seeking to qualify.
Republicans:
Four candidates came forward seeking the Republican nomination to replace Zinke: former educator Ray Curtis, statewide radio host Aaron Flint, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and former state Sen. Al Olszewski.
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Democrats:
Four Democrats are hoping to break through in the western district: author and activist Ryan Busse, former business owner Russ Cleveland, firefighter and union leader Sam Forstag and rancher Matt Rains.
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2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT:
The one congressional race in the state this year that will feature an incumbent is in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of central and eastern Montana. Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing is running for a second term and will move on to the general election as he has no primary opponents. Libertarian Patrick McCracken will also be on the ballot in November, and independent candidate Mike Eisenhauer is trying to qualify as well.
Democrats:
Democrats will have a contested primary for the eastern district. Farrier Sam Lux and attorney Brian Miller have become friends, are aligned on many issues and each say either one would be a good nominee.
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State Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign but has since announced he's restarting it, pushing back against allegations of misconduct that he says are a "political smear."
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