Montana Democratic Chair Quits, Backs Independent Over Senate Nominee in 2026 Race
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 12
Montana Democratic Chair Quits, Backs Independent Over Senate Nominee in 2026 Race
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 12
Summary
Shannon O’Brien resigned Monday as Montana Democratic Party chair and endorsed independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar instead of Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead.
O’Brien said Bankhead had raised “real questions” about abortion rights, support for working people and views on poverty, and argued Democrats needed a signal that voting independent was acceptable.
Bankhead said O’Brien had worked against her for months, citing a summer legal opinion on whether the party could refuse to replace her if she quit, and said Democratic voters had already chosen their nominee in June.
Former Democratic senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus have also backed Bodnar, while party figures have cast Bankhead as a Democrat in name only and pointed to Republican spending they say helped keep her on the ballot.
The rupture deepens Democratic disarray in a race for the seat being vacated by Republican Steve Daines, with Republican nominee Kurt Alme seen as the favorite.