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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana dropped his bid for reelection to a third term in a surprise withdrawal just minutes before a Wednesday filing deadline for candidates.
Daines, 63, said in a statement that he wrestled with the decision for months before deciding to retire. He said he looked forward to spending time with his seven grandchildren and more time in Montana.
Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who is also a Republican, entered the race shortly before the deadline for major party candidates in the state to file for the November election.
Almost immediately he was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who also praised Daines — and essentially confirmed the senator’s role in engineering Alme to become as his successor.
“Sadly for our Country, Steve’s Term is up,” Trump said, “and he has decided to leave the Senate and, ‘pass the torch’ to Kurt Alme, my TRUMP 45 and TRUMP 47 U.S. Attorney.”
Other lawmakers have also used last-minute withdrawals to set up a handpicked successor. Last fall the House censured Rep. Chuy Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, for how he engineered his retirement and succession plan.
The maneuvering among Republicans in Montana came on the same day that former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar launched an independent campaign for Daines’ seat.
Democrats have been broadly sidelined by the state’s voters in recent years, and Bodnar’s decision to run without party backing underscores their diminished status. Montana Democrats control no statewide offices following the 2024 defeat of three-term incumbent Sen. Jon Tester.
No well-known Democrats entered the Senate race by Wednesday’s deadline.
Republicans have a slim majority in the Senate, holding 53 seats to Democrats’ 45 plus two independents.
Daines is the 15th senator to announce his retirement since the 2024 election, the most in any single term going back to 2013.
“Prior to public service, I spent 28 years in the private sector. While I found those years very rewarding, they didn’t compare to the fulfillment I’ve found in public service,” Daines said in a statement. “I’m energized, encouraged, and ready for what comes next.”
Bodnar, a 47-year-old native of Grove City, Pennsylvania, graduated first in his class from West Point and served in the Army special forces before working as an executive at GE Transportation.
In a video message, he said America’s political system is broken and elected officials in Washington are looking out only for people who are wealthy and connected.
“The American dream is getting crushed, and both parties are to blame. They pit us against each other while they line their own pockets,” Bodnar said. “We need a new approach, an independent senator who will fight for hardworking Montanans.”
The GOP’s Senate fundraising group, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, criticized Bodnar as “an early champion” of allowing transgender athletes to participate in college sports during his eight years leading the University of Montana.
“Now, Both Ways Bodnar wants Montanans to believe he’s transitioning from a Democrat to a fake independent,” the committee said.
A spokesperson said Bodnar’s allegiances are to the people of Montana, not a political party, when asked if he would align with Democrats or Republicans if elected.
“When Seth gets into the Senate, he will fight for new leadership and negotiate a role that gives Montanans the strongest possible voice,” Roy Loewenstein said.
If he collects the 13,327 voter signatures needed to qualify, Bodnar would appear on the general election ballot, not during the primary.
Federal Election Commission campaign filings show Daines had raised more than $8 million since his last election in 2020. He had about $5 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31, according to the filings.
If the race heats up, it could be pricey. Total spending in the 2024 Senate race between Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy topped $300 million, a record for a congressional race on a per-voter basis, according to party officials.
Daines was an executive at Right Now Technologies before his election to the House in 2012.
He served one term before a successful 2014 run for the Senate seat formerly held by Democrat Max Baucus. Daines won by a wide margin over a little-known opponent after Baucus’ would-be Democratic successor, former Lt. Gov. John Walsh, dropped out of the race following reports that he plagiarized parts of his thesis while attending the U.S. Army War College.
In 2020, Daines beat Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 percentage points. At that time the campaign was the most expensive in Montana political history.
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Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Maya Sweedler in Washington contributed.
Matthew Brown, The Associated Press
