Bankhead staying in Senate race, setting up a four-way battle

Monday is the deadline for candidates to take themselves off the November ballot in Montana, and voters are set to have four candidates on the ballot. 

Bankhead won the state’s Democratic primary by 12,000 votes, but has faced stiffer competition from an independent candidate, Seth Bodnar, whose campaign has consolidated left-of-center support in the state. 

Having multiple candidates has split Democrats within Montana and nationally, many of whom see Bodnar as having a likelier path to victory. A similar trend has played out in other reliably Republican states, with the Democratic candidates in Nebraska, South Dakota and Idaho dropping out in races with independents. 

In polling, a four-way race — with Libertarian Kyle Austin — is easily won by the Republican candidate, Kurt Alme. The race becomes more competitive in a two-way race, but only Bodnar ever tops Alme, according to polls affiliated with his campaign. 

But Bankhead cited her experience as an Air Force veteran who ran special operations against child sex traffickers and as a body guard as reasons she will not back down from the challenge. 

“I already signed a blank check for my life to America 25 years ago, and that’s why I cannot be intimidated and I can’t be pushed out of this race,” Bankhead said. “That’s what makes me dangerous to the establishment — they know that I’m never going to kowtow to money or power.”

Several organizations and political action committees, as well as Democratic lawmakers, have put out explicit calls for Bankhead to drop out of the Senate race to coalesce support against Alme. 

On Monday, Bankhead said her family — including extended family members and her underage daughter— has been included on a “target list of harassment” and that her family has received death threats. 

“I find this completely unacceptable, disgusting, and unethical,” Bankhead said. “And across the board, whether you’re Republican, Democrat, independent, vegetarian, libertarian, I don’t care, this behavior is unacceptable.”

Bodnar’s campaign put out statements on Monday denouncing any efforts to contact candidates’ family members, saying that if any organization that supports him was involved, they must “stop this immediately.”

“This is completely f-ed up and we’re seeing in this senate race the exact reason people hate politics today,” Bodnar said in a video posted to social media. “I’ve never asked Alani Bankhead to drop out of this race, I’m not asking her to do that right now.”

Bodnar said his personal cell number was released recently by “Republican dark money groups,” and that those same groups have sent out fundraising emails in support of Bankhead. 

“This is what Steve Daines and Kurt Alme do,” he said. “We see it, and we reject it.”

The Montana Freedom PAC, an organization that has spent heavily supporting Bodnar’s campaign, and the Wild Montana Action Fund, also put out statements condemning the harassment of any candidate or their families. 

Bodnar addressed questions about whether he might bow out of the campaign on Friday, also vowing to stay in the race against Alme. 

Bodnar leads all candidates in fundraising and has endorsements from the state’s top organizations that often endorse Democrats, as well as from current and former elected officials. 

Bankhead has raised just under $60,000 in her campaign so far, behind the millions raised by her opponents, but she reiterated on Monday that money doesn’t always win elections, and polls don’t determine the outcomes. 

“Montanans are very clear they don’t want politicians who are bought and paid for,” Bankhead said, saying her opponents are both accepting political action committee money. “Do not disrespect grassroots Montana efforts, because I sure as hell would rather partner with Bill, who gave me five bucks, than the D.C. corporate interest that pays six and seven figures to manipulate the vote here in Montana.”

Two Bankhead supporters spoke at the press conference about their reasons for supporting her. Bankhead also listed off some of her policy plans, including protecting data from corporations and AI companies, using the military’s healthcare as a model for universal healthcare, working to address the state’s affordability crisis, and supporting the Montana Plan, an initiative to get dark money out of politics. 

“You should always know exactly who your senator answers to, and for the record, I answer to you,” Bankhead said.