HELENA — There was one more big shakeup in Montana’s 2026 elections Wednesday morning, as former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar officially launched his long-rumored campaign for U.S. Senate as an independent candidate.
(Watch the video for more on where the Senate race stands now.)
Bodnar came to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office in person to file his candidacy, challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines.
“We need a new approach,” Bodnar told reporters after filing. “Montanans are an independent people, and they deserve an independent voice who's going to go to the U.S. Senate and fight for them every single day – not fighting for a political party, but standing up for Montanans.”
Bodnar said he’s frustrated with a political system that’s not working for everyday Montanans. He criticized Trump administration tariffs that he said are “crushing Montana farmers,” a congressional budget that he said harmed access to health care, and the growth of the national debt.
Daines is seeking his third six-year term in the Senate this year. To get on the ballot against him, Bodnar will need to collect signatures from at least 13,327 registered Montana voters.
Rumors about Bodnar’s candidacy have been circulating for months. In January, Lee Newspapers reported on a text message, purportedly from former Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, touting Bodner as an independent and saying the Democratic party label could be a hindrance to candidates in Montana.
“I'm not a Democrat, I'm an independent – that's why I'm running that way,” Bodnar told reporters, when asked if Republicans will seek to paint him as a Democrat in all but name. “I think the primary difference between me and my opponent is that I'm going to go to D.C. with one boss: the people of this state. I'm not going to be beholden to any party interests.”
In 2024, independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn ran competitively against a GOP incumbent in strongly Republican Nebraska. However, Democrats didn’t run a candidate in that race. Four Democratic candidates have already filed to run against Daines. One of them, former state Rep. Reilly Neill of Livingston, argued on social media that Bodnar has no realistic path to victory as an independent.
“I have a message for Seth Bodnar. Montana has never elected an Independent. The question is: why is he helping Daines?” Neill said in a post on X.
Shannon O’Brien, chair of the Montana Democratic Party, released a statement after Bodnar’s announcement.
“The mission of the Montana Democratic Party is to support candidates who run as Democrats. Full stop,” she said. “We do not support candidates outside of the party, and our bylaws prevent us from doing so.”
MTN asked Bodnar about his path to victory. He said he believes Republicans, Democrats and independents in the state are open to something different.
“They want a true independent who's going to fight for them, who's not going to answer to party bosses in D.C., but who's going to go to the US Senate, negotiate a role for themselves to have the loudest and strongest voice for the people of this great state,” he said.
Anyone else considering whether to run in this year’s elections has until 5 p.m. Wednesday to make their final decision.
This story has been updated. The original story is below:
On the final day of filing for Montana’s 2026 elections, former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar confirmed he is jumping into the race for U.S. Senate as an independent candidate.
“For too long, Montanans have watched as the American Dream has been held hostage by a broken political system that allows Washington politicians to divide us and line their own pockets while families across our state face higher costs and fewer opportunities,” said Bodnar in a news release early Wednesday morning. “I’m running for Senate as an Independent because Montanans deserve a leader who bridges divides with commonsense solutions, stands up to political elites in Washington, and answers only to Montana, not national party bosses or DC insiders.”
Bodnar will officially file to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines later Wednesday. His campaign launched with a video posted to Youtube.
Bodnar’s announcement comes after months of rumors that he would get into the race. When Bodnar resigned from UM in January after eight years as president, he said he and his family were considering “whether to pursue a new way to serve our state and our nation.”
Bodnar served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret. He worked as an executive with General Electric prior to becoming UM president in 2018.
In order to get on the November general election ballot as an independent, Bodnar will need to collect signatures from at least 13,327 registered voters across the state.
Besides Bodnar, four Democratic candidates and one Libertarian candidate have already filed to run against Daines. More people could still get into the race, with the filing period closing at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
