ICYMI
Montana Author and Former U.S. Ambassador Backs Bodnar for Senate
“A coalition behind Bodnar can send an Independent voice to the U.S. Senate”
In a new op-ed, longtime Montana writer, author of the Revenant, and former U.S. Ambassador Michael Punke argues Bodnar is the candidate best positioned to beat Kurt Alme and send a real Independent voice for Montanans to Washington.
Here are key excerpts:
The Missoulian: Bankhead Stays In: Now What?
By Michael Punke
August 12, 2026
This year’s Montana race for US Senate has profound consequences for our future. A closely divided Senate will decide critical issues. Alme is an avowed Trump acolyte. If you disagree with his positions on issues you care about, think carefully before a cavalier vote that hands him a powerful – and potentially determinative position.
Alme’s two opponents are Democrat Bankhead and Independent Seth Bodnar. Most neutral observers believe Bodnar has the only chance to beat Alme. It is worth noting that a recent poll showed more Montanans identify themselves as Independents (43%) than either Republicans (39%) or Democrats (19%).
Bankhead’s noncampaign is a flat-out insult to the Democrats who supported her in the primary. She is not making the effort of someone who takes seriously the responsibility of her nomination.
The good news is that Democrats can cast their vote for a hard-working candidate in the person of Bodnar, who is crisscrossing the state relentlessly to earn support. In Bodnar, Democrats can remain true to convictions on core issues like affordability, reproductive freedom, public lands, rural healthcare, and the Supreme Court.
Don’t do the same thing over and over — and expect a different result. Montanans are weary of politics. America’s two-party system is leading us to deeper and deeper division with no exit ramp in sight. Consider the choices that the two-party system has delivered in the past three presidential elections: Trump v. Clinton, Trump v. Biden, and Trump v. Harris. Isn’t it time to think outside the box?
A coalition behind Bodnar can send an Independent voice to the U.S. Senate — and a strong message from out here in “flyover country.” We have a long way to go to dig ourselves out of the deep pit of modern American politics, but support for a coalition behind Bodnar is one way to stop digging.
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