Montana's GOP Senate Pick
Kurt Alme Secures Montana GOP Senate Primary Amidst Daines's Last-Minute Endorsement and Trump's Backing
Kurt Alme, a former U.S. attorney for Montana, has won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in a contest marked by last-minute turmoil after Sen. Steve Daines withdrew minutes before the filing deadline and threw his support to Alme, with Alme leading his challengers at about 77% as votes counted. Trump quickly endorsed Alme, describing it as based on Daines’s strongest recommendation, while Daines said the switch aimed to prevent Democrats from capitalizing on an open seat—claims that some Republicans dispute as a backroom arrangement that shut out other potential candidates. In November, Democrats will face Alme, but party unity appears shaky: The New York Times reports that some Democratic leadership is backing an independent run by Seth Bodnar, former University of Montana president. Montana’s recent rightward trend and past competitive Senate races frame Alme’s expectations, with Democrats not viewing the state as a top target for controlling the chamber. In western Montana’s House GOP primary, Aaron Flint—also early endorsed by Trump—defeated three Republicans including Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to seek the seat being vacated by Rep. Ryan Zinke. The Democratic House primary there remained too close to call late Tuesday between Ryan Busse and Sam Forstag.
Key Points
In an early Associated Press count, Kurt Alme led with about 77% in 126 partially counted precincts out of a nearly 30,000-vote tally, with lesser-known opponents Lee Calhoun (13%) and Charles Walking Child (10%) trailing.
After the AP call, Alme’s campaign message emphasized a specific conservative agenda, including: “secure our borders,” “defend our Second Amendment rights,” “keep boys out of girls’ sports,” “take care of veterans,” and “protect our public lands,” while framing election security as a top priority as well.
NBC News reported that Sen. Steve Daines told Semafor he “recruited Alme for his seat” and “worked to bring the president and top Montana Republicans on board”; Trump’s endorsement was also quoted as being “based on Steve’s strongest recommendation.”
Multiple outlets underscored Montana’s long Republican lean: one report noted no Democrat has won the state in a presidential election since Bill Clinton in 1992, and another cited Trump’s 2024 Montana result as “a career-high 58.4%.”
In the western Montana House GOP primary, the Associated Press reported that Aaron Flint will replace Rep. Ryan Zinke—who backed Flint—and that Trump carried the district by 12 percentage points in 2024.
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