Democrats and Republicans see the Montana Senate race as down to favored Republican Kurt Alme and independent Seth Bodnar.
Yet the whole race may hinge on Tuesday’s Democratic primary, which attracted more than $5 million in outside spending. The More Jobs, Less Government PAC, aligned with retiring Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is running ads describing Reilly Neill as “too liberal” and claiming “Alani Bankhead will work with Trump,” according to one ad shared with Semafor aimed at tanking Bankhead with Democrats. Then there’s a campaign from Progressive Vet PAC boosting Bankhead.
What’s behind the meddling? Republicans suspect Bankhead will essentially cede the race to Bodnar (despite her denials), which would make the general election more competitive. Meanwhile, Democrats see Neill as more likely to split the vote.
That means both sides are backing candidates who have no shot at winning in November.