Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:
- Montana U.S. Senate 2026
- Montana Supreme Court
- Local Legislative Races
- One More Thing
MONTANA U.S. SENATE 2026:
A masterclass in political maneuvering, the 2026 Montana Senate race will be talked about for generations. It all began with a dramatic, down-to-the-wire switch: incumbent Republican Steve Daines withdrew his candidacy mere minutes before the deadline, allowing a pre-endorsed Kurt Alme to take his place without facing a serious primary challenge. By Tuesday night, the high-stakes gamble cleared its final hurdle as Alme cruised to election victory.
Then on the other side of the political fence, Alani Bankhead was the Democratic choice, although many Democrats ended up supporting Independent Seth Bodnar.
Bankhead beat Reilly Neill in the primary 43%-33%. Neill is still making some noise on social media about Bankhead and the state party. I don’t blame her.
In one of Bankhead’s last emails before polls closed, she sent an Op-Ed to subscribers called “The Backroom Deal.” It’s worth the read. Click HERE to read it.
Another interesting event was when Montana Democratic Party Chair Shannon O’Brien resigned from her position on October 12, 2026, to endorse independent candidate Seth Bodnar.
There were people wanting Bankhead to withdraw and let Bodnar compete one-on-one against Alme. On the other hand, some people wanted Bodnar to withdraw and let Bankhead go one-on-one against Alme.
The last check of election results showed Bankhead and Bodnar getting 234,851 votes. Alme had 230,116 votes. A Libertarian had 8,681. Alme is leading with 49% of the votes, Bodnar has 37%, and Bankhead has 12%.
Time will inevitably, and rightfully, bring a wave of ‘should-haves’ and ‘what-ifs’ to this race.
MONTANA SUPREME COURT:
I was pleasantly surprised that Judge Amy Eddy beat Judge Dan Wilson so badly in the race to be a justice on the Montana Supreme Court.
Back in June, Eddy beat Wilson by about 7,600 votes in the primary election. The last I checked, Eddy is beating Wilson by about 82,600 votes in the general election.
As I said a few times, Wilson sided with the Montana GOP. He seemed desperate to try to get elected. I want my judges to be judges and not politicians. I wish Eddy a long and distinguished career.
LOCAL LEGISLATIVE RACES:
A few weeks ago, Great Falls City Commissioner and MAGA supporter Rick Tryon slammed HD 20 candidate Steve Keller for talking about Trump. Tryon called Keller’s video “absurd” and asked if Keller was “just plain clueless.” Tryon closed his hit piece saying, “You’re not running against Trump and Putin. Get real.” (Source)
I guess Keller’s message resonated with the voters. He won his contest by about 46 votes, beating Republican Melissa Nikolakakos. (Source)
Once again, Tryon shows he does not know what he is talking about.
The Democrats in Cascade County won two other legislative races: Jane Weber in HD-19 and Margaret Mitchell in SDS-10.
I want to applaud Rebecca Bogden-Richards, who ran in HD-23, which is my district. I had a nice visit with her when she came by my house campaigning. She has the energy and ideas to do well in politics. I hope she continues to run for elective office. She only lost to incumbent Eric Tilleman by about 100 votes.
I also want to applaud Mindy Leach, who ran for SD-12 against Republican George Nikolakakos. That is also my district. She put up a fight, only losing by about 300 votes. I hope she continues to stay involved and run for other elective offices.
I suspect that after this next legislative session, more and more Montanans will grow sick and tired of the MAGAs running the state.
ONE MORE THING:
Homeschooling question: Does having my kid mix me a drink count as chemistry, or is it more like home economics?
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