Daines Senate Seat 2026

MTGomer

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On a previous thread, we discussed Ryan Zinke’s seat.

Daines is up for re election. He obviously is a republican. Daines has been much more lukewarm on public lands when contrasted to the outspokenness of Ryan Zinke.
Considering this and the general consensus that the Trump administration that he is very cozy to, is not doing so great on multiple fronts, may make him vulnerable

Daines will face an R challenger in the primary from Charles Walking Child of Helena. I know very little about Charles but I assume the incumbent will prevail

On the Democrat side, there are four Democrats looking to challenge Daines

They are
Alani Bankhead - a current Air Force reservist and resident of Helena. Her and her husband have made an career out of the military. Alani moved to Montana only three years ago.

Reilly Neil, who currently resides in Livingston. Reilly is also a transplant. Although she has lived in Montana for a few decades, she was born in Dublin, Ireland.
She has played active roles in the Park County environmental council and in the milk River water project.

The other two are:

Michael Black Wolf, a tribal historic preservation officer from Hays
His website focuses on expanding services for Montana, including healthcare and broadband Internet. He is a member of the Fort Belknap Indian Nation

Michael Hummert, a 2024 U.S. Senate candidate from Helena
I cannot find much about him, but he sounds super interesting. He is an Army and Navy veteran and according to the ballotpedia has done the following professionally ; deep-sea hardhat salvage diver, marine mammal operator, diving instructor, school bus driver, and owner of a home remodeling company.

I do not even know what a marine mammal operator is, but it sounds cool

For those in the know, what’s the story here? I am particularly interested in Black Wolf or Hummert but know little about them and the internet is short on info.

That alone says that they have an uphill fight in a red state against an incumbent, but you never know.
 
There is much to be learned about candidates opposing Sen Daines.
Somewhat familiar with the Daines family and with Sen Daines background, I am proud of his past history at Bozeman HS and in college, but his roots seemed to die. He initially appeared to be a real Montanan with real local roots and local interests to be protected. However, his face in the news and his stances on a number of issues paint him as merely a Republican pawn, lockstep with national party agenda and whatever the White House wants. Daines' lukewarm attitude regarding public lands gives this Montanan pause. I am strongly opposed to his intent to eliminate protections for Wilderness Study Areas, many of which are valued by Montana as pristine and really should be Wilderness.

I agree that Sen Daines is vulnerable.
 
On a previous thread, we discussed Ryan Zinke’s seat.

Daines is up for re election. He obviously is a republican. Daines has been much more lukewarm on public lands when contrasted to the outspokenness of Ryan Zinke.
Considering this and the general consensus that the Trump administration that he is very cozy to, is not doing so great on multiple fronts, may make him vulnerable

Daines will face an R challenger in the primary from Charles Walking Child of Helena. I know very little about Charles but I assume the incumbent will prevail

On the Democrat side, there are four Democrats looking to challenge Daines

They are
Alani Bankhead - a current Air Force reservist and resident of Helena. Her and her husband have made an career out of the military. Alani moved to Montana only three years ago.

Reilly Neil, who currently resides in Livingston. Reilly is also a transplant. Although she has lived in Montana for a few decades, she was born in Dublin, Ireland.
She has played active roles in the Park County environmental council and in the milk River water project.

The other two are:

Michael Black Wolf, a tribal historic preservation officer from Hays
His website focuses on expanding services for Montana, including healthcare and broadband Internet. He is a member of the Fort Belknap Indian Nation

Michael Hummert, a 2024 U.S. Senate candidate from Helena
I cannot find much about him, but he sounds super interesting. He is an Army and Navy veteran and according to the ballotpedia has done the following professionally ; deep-sea hardhat salvage diver, marine mammal operator, diving instructor, school bus driver, and owner of a home remodeling company.

I do not even know what a marine mammal operator is, but it sounds cool

For those in the know, what’s the story here? I am particularly interested in Black Wolf or Hummert but know little about them and the internet is short on info.

That alone says that they have an uphill fight in a red state against an incumbent, but you never know.
i]m not from montana but be careful what you wish for
 
Do we not get a third party Libertarian choice?
How about a third party Independent. Jon Tester, Democrat who lost to Sen Sheehy, is promoting Seth Bodnar as an independent candidate to oppose Sen Daines.
Bodnar is currently President of the University of Montana. He is a West Point graduate who served in the Army Special Forces. Bodnar is 46 yrs old and a member of the Army Reserves. His scholastic record is impressive, as he was a Rhodes Scholar and holds two graduate degrees from Oxford University.
Perhaps even more important to his political potential is that he resonates Montanan and obviously is well informed and well aware of Montana values and critical issues.
Seth Bodnar appeals to me very strongly as an excellent candidate.
 
How about a third party Independent. Jon Tester, Democrat who lost to Sen Sheehy, is promoting Seth Bodnar as an independent candidate to oppose Sen Daines.
Bodnar is currently President of the University of Montana. He is a West Point graduate who served in the Army Special Forces. Bodnar is 46 yrs old and a member of the Army Reserves. His scholastic record is impressive, as he was a Rhodes Scholar and holds two graduate degrees from Oxford University.
Perhaps even more important to his political potential is that he resonates Montanan and obviously is well informed and well aware of Montana values and critical issues.
Seth Bodnar appeals to me very strongly as an excellent candidate.
Sounds overqualified for the job...
 
How about a third party Independent. Jon Tester, Democrat who lost to Sen Sheehy, is promoting Seth Bodnar as an independent candidate to oppose Sen Daines.
Bodnar is currently President of the University of Montana. He is a West Point graduate who served in the Army Special Forces. Bodnar is 46 yrs old and a member of the Army Reserves. His scholastic record is impressive, as he was a Rhodes Scholar and holds two graduate degrees from Oxford University.
Perhaps even more important to his political potential is that he resonates Montanan and obviously is well informed and well aware of Montana values and critical issues.
Seth Bodnar appeals to me very strongly as an excellent candidate.
Not a chance.
I swear, thread after thread of people with rose colored glasses. Daines easily wins no matter who runs against him.
 

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