Kurt Alme
Republican Montana Senate candidate endorsed by Steve Daines; leads PAC contributions in 2026 race.
Last refreshed: 28 April 2026
Who is Kurt Alme and why did Steve Daines back him for Montana's Senate seat?
Timeline for Kurt Alme
Daines exits; Bodnar leads Montana race
US Midterms 2026- Who is Kurt Alme running for in Montana?
- Kurt Alme, the US District Attorney for Montana, is running for the open Montana Senate seat in 2026. He was endorsed by Senator Steve Daines when Daines withdrew from the race and leads in PAC contributions, though independent Seth Bodnar leads in direct fundraising.Source: Q1 2026 fundraising disclosures
Background
Kurt Alme is the US District Attorney for Montana who entered the 2026 Republican Senate primary as the candidate endorsed by incumbent Senator Steve Daines when Daines withdrew from the race ahead of the filing deadline. Alme leads in PAC contributions among the Montana Republican field, while independent Seth Bodnar leads in direct fundraising — a split that reflects the different coalitions each candidate is drawing from.
Alme's prosecutorial background and Daines's endorsement position him as the establishment Republican choice in what has become an unexpectedly contested open primary. As a federal prosecutor, he brings law-enforcement credibility that plays well in rural Montana, where public safety and federal land management are persistent political themes.
Montana's first open Senate seat since 1976 is now a genuinely competitive primary between Alme as the Republican establishment pick and Bodnar as the independent who leads direct fundraising. The general election dynamic — Alme as Republican nominee versus Bodnar as independent — would test whether Montana's tradition of ticket-splitting can produce a non-Republican Senate winner.