PoliVion · Midterms 2026← Back to all races

2026 Montana Senate Election

Solid R
Open (Daines retiring)

About this race

Seth Bodnar has raised the most in this race — $4,918,341, ahead of Kurt Alme at $3,013,681. Kurt Alme has taken the most PAC and party-committee money: $879,700. On AIPAC: Kyle Austin has an AIPAC-linked record (amount still under verification).

Share card for the 2026 Montana Senate race on PoliVion. AIPAC-linked: Kyle Austin. Follow the money in all 470 midterm races at polivion.com.

With the current officeholder retiring, this seat will have a new winner. It’s considered a safe Republican seat. Kyle Austin, a Libertarian, shows a record of donations linked to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, but the exact amount is still being confirmed. Kurt Alme, a Republican, reports $110 from other pro-Israel groups. The November ballot lists 4 candidates: one Democrat, one Republican, one independent and one Libertarian.

Key issues in Montana

Major issues facing Montana, based on 2025–2026 reporting. Compare them with what each candidate says they focus on below.

Candidates & funding

Kurt Alme Republican Nominee

Campaign raised $1,000,000
Party committee ~$1M
Other pro-Israel PACs $110no AIPAC-linked record
No AIPAC-linked FEC record. Other pro-Israel PACs: NORPAC, RJC. Source: FEC via TrackAIPAC.
2026 fundraising (FEC)$3,013,681 raised · $2,410,943 spent · $602,738 cash on hand through Oct 14, 2026
Focus: Make life more affordable, keep communities safe, protect the Montana way of life

Alani Bankhead Democrat Nominee

Campaign raised $12,000
Small-dollar / grassroots ~$12K
✓ No AIPAC-linked FEC record
Conduit routed $9Kindividual donors via conduit
2026 fundraising (FEC)$190,565 raised · $167,745 spent · $22,820 cash on hand through Oct 14, 2026
Focus: Affordability for working families; accountability; protecting kids, survivors, seniors

Seth Bodnar Independent Nominee

Campaign raised $1,400,000
Small-dollar / grassroots $1.4M
✓ No AIPAC-linked FEC record
2026 fundraising (FEC)$4,918,341 raised · $4,337,420 spent · $580,921 cash on hand through Oct 14, 2026
Focus: Putting Montana first: an independent voice guided by duty, honor, country

Kyle Austin Libertarian Nominee

AIPAC-linkedamount under verification
FundVoter lists an AIPAC-linked FEC record for this candidate; the dollar amount is still under verification.
2026 fundraising (FEC)$261,825 raised · $259,691 spent · $2,684 cash on hand through Oct 14, 2026
Focus: Agriculture, Second Amendment rights, healthcare reform; protecting rural communities, honest government

Where the money comes from

FEC campaign finance data through Oct 14, 2026. Campaign dollars, by source.

Kurt Alme RAlani Bankhead DSeth Bodnar IKyle Austin L
Raised$3M$191K$4.9M$262K
Individuals$1.7M58%$180K95%$4.8M97%$6380%
PACs & parties$880K29%$3K2%$166K3%$0
Self-funded$0$4K2%$0$261K100%
Other$389K13%$3K2%$3K0%$0
AIPAC-linked*————
Outside spending†————

* AIPAC-linked money is already counted in the rows above — it flags the pro-Israel share, not extra money.

† Independent spending on ads for or against a candidate. It never goes to their campaign.

“Individuals” covers both small-dollar (under $200) and large donors.

Who are the biggest donors?

Every donor ranked by how much they gave, from the candidate’s own FEC filings — individuals, PACs, and party committees all in one list. Expand a candidate to see theirs, then tap any name to learn more about the donor.

Why are so many gifts exactly $10,000? That’s the legal maximum a PAC can give one candidate for the whole cycle — $5,000 for the primary plus $5,000 for the general — so many PACs give the max. Individuals can give up to $3,500 per election.

Kurt Alme 622 donors
FINANCIAL POSITION
Campaign raised$3.0M
Campaign spent$2.4M
Cash on hand$603K
FEC 2026 through 10/14/2026
CANDIDATE-CONTROLLED MONEY
Individuals58%
PACs / committees29%
Self-funding0%
Share of campaign receipts. FEC 2026.
  • Party committee$62K
  • Individual$14K
  • Individual$14K
  • Individual$14K
  • Individual$10K
  • Individual$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Membership PAC$10K
  • Membership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • PAC$10K
  • Corporate PAC$8K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K

Showing the 50 biggest of 622 donors. The other 572 gave $1.1M combined.

Plus $94K from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.

See Kurt Alme’s full FEC filings →

Alani Bankhead 40 donors
FINANCIAL POSITION
Campaign raised$191K
Campaign spent$168K
Cash on hand$23K
FEC 2026 through 10/14/2026
CANDIDATE-CONTROLLED MONEY
Individuals95%
PACs / committees2%
Self-funding2%
Share of campaign receipts. FEC 2026.
ROUTED CONTRIBUTIONS
Total routed through conduits$9K
Share of individual giving4.8%
Individuals gave through these conduits. Conduit is routing layer, not legal donor. General platforms (ActBlue, WinRed) are payment processors, not networks. How conduits work →
  • Individual$4K
  • Self-funded$4K
  • Individual$4K
  • Individual$3K
  • Individual$1K
  • Individual$1K
  • Individual$1K
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$500
  • Individual$400
  • Individual$300
  • Individual$300
  • Individual$253
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$250
  • Individual$50

Plus $19K from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.

See Alani Bankhead’s full FEC filings →

Seth Bodnar 1586 donors
FINANCIAL POSITION
Campaign raised$4.9M
Campaign spent$4.3M
Cash on hand$581K
FEC 2026 through 10/14/2026
CANDIDATE-CONTROLLED MONEY
Individuals97%
PACs / committees3%
Self-funding0%
Share of campaign receipts. FEC 2026.
  • Individual$28K
  • Individual$14K
  • Individual$14K
  • Individual$14K
  • PAC$10K
  • PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Leadership PAC$10K
  • Membership PAC$10K
  • PAC$10K
  • Individual$8K
  • Individual$8K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K
  • Individual$7K

Showing the 50 biggest of 1586 donors. The other 1536 gave $2.4M combined.

Plus $405K from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.

See Seth Bodnar’s full FEC filings →

Kyle Austin 2 donors
FINANCIAL POSITION
Campaign raised$262K
Campaign spent$260K
Cash on hand$3K
FEC 2026 through 10/14/2026
CANDIDATE-CONTROLLED MONEY
Individuals0%
PACs / committees0%
Self-funding100%
Share of campaign receipts. FEC 2026.
  • Self-funded$216K
  • Individual$526

Plus $100 from small donors giving under $200 each — those aren’t itemized by name.

See Kyle Austin’s full FEC filings →

These figures come from the candidate’s own itemized FEC reports (2026 cycle, through the coverage date above), with amendments applied and refunds netted. Joint fundraising transfers are left out of the ranking: they’re pass-throughs, and the individual donations behind them are listed above. Bank interest, vendor refunds, and other non-donation receipts are excluded. Donor names are as reported — the same person can appear twice if their name was recorded differently. Independent spending on ads is never included here — see the Outside spending column.

Common questions

Who has raised more money in the Montana Senate race?

Seth Bodnar has raised more: $4,918,341, ahead of Kurt Alme at $3,013,681.

Who takes PAC money in the Montana Senate race?

Kurt Alme has taken the most money from PACs and party committees: $879,700. Seth Bodnar has taken $165,550.

Who takes AIPAC money in the Montana Senate race?

Kyle Austin has an AIPAC-linked record in FEC filings; the dollar amount is still under verification.

When is the Montana Senate election?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Related news

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← Missouri District 8Montana District 1 →
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