Dem
47
GOP
53
Democrats got a lucky break yesterday. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) announced that he will not run for another term, creating an open Senate seat in Montana. Daines was very sneaky about this, making the announcement just minutes before the filing deadline, making it impossible for new candidates who might suddenly be interested to run. Except for U.S. Attorney for Montana Kurt Alme, who filed at 4:52 p.m., eight minutes before the deadline. Could Alme be clairvoyant? Looks like it. If he gives you stock advice, take it.
This is not the first time a candidate has dropped out minutes before the deadline. It is starting to become the norm. Daines endorsed Alme; gotta say that he moves fast. The whole thing is very underhanded and rotten to the core. The only possible solution we can think of is to change state laws to make the deadline for filing to run a week after the deadline to get off the ballot.
Three unknown Democrats have filed. Alani Bankhead is an Air Force Lt. Colonel. Michael Black Wolf is a tribal historical preservation officer for the Gort Belknap Indian Community. Reilly Neill is a former state representative. However, the former president of the University of Montana, Seth Bodnar, filed as an independent. It is possible that the DSCC sees Bodnar as a serious candidate, since he is technically an independent in a state that is basically libertarian rather than Republican. This is somewhat analogous to the situation in Nebraska right now, where Dan Osborn (I) is the Democrats' de facto candidate. Montana is a cheap state to advertise in, so it won't cost much to help Bodnar. It will be interesting to see what the Democrats do here. (V)