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"They both suck:" Disenchanted With The Two-Party System, Voters Consider Seth Bodnar's Pitch
MISSOULA, MT — Independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar spent 90 minutes taking questions directly from voters at a town hall in Glasgow last week, and the Glasgow Courier captured what happened when Montanans who feel politically homeless got a chance to hear him out in person.
Read the full article here. Below are key excerpts.
"They both suck:" Disenchanted With The Two-Party System, Voters Consider Independent Seth Bodnar's Pitch
Glasgow Courier, Skylar Baker-Jordan, Sep 16, 2026
Seth Bodnar was happy with the audience when he spoke at the Cottonwood Inn and Suites on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Yet he couldn't believe how many people thanked him for coming to Glasgow. "While I appreciate people saying that, it's a shame that they have to thank people that actually show up," he said. "You know, we need our political leaders to show up and take questions and engage with voters." Bodnar did just that, spending about 90 minutes talking to and taking questions from about 25 people who showed up to hear the independent candidate for U.S. Senate speak. Covering topics ranging from housing to the economy to healthcare, Bodnar made his pitch to Valley County voters ahead of November's election.
A "self-described independent," Andrew McKean said he was interested in third party movements historically and their ability to "move the national discussion along." "To have the opportunity to vote and hear a true independent in Montana is pretty exciting," he said. "I'm very impressed with the thoroughness of the thought," he said of Bodnar. "Just recognizing that there is room for real discussion, like adult discussion, within all the noise of politics right now is really refreshing to me."
Ryan Sidle, a 22-year-old from Great Falls, agreed. "Our truth is the left and the right, they're both failing us. We've gotta start looking at independent. They're the only people that actually work for the people." Sidle was in Glasgow working on the railroad. He was impressed with Bodnar's talking points on housing and education. "It's very hard for most people my age," he said. "Not everybody's fortunate enough to have good jobs. Everybody had the idea of college as a way to go. Now they're $100,00 in debt. It's a losing game." Bodnar, a former president of the University of Montana, spoke of the need to increase access to trade schools and apprenticeships – positions that met with Sidle's approval.
Neither the Janzens nor Sidle said they were political people. Izabel said she had opinions on both sides, but that she is "not really aligning with a certain party anymore." Both the Democratic and the Republican Party, she said are focused on the wrong things. "They're just in over their heads. Their heads are giant, you know? They don't really care about us in rural America." Sidle agreed, lamenting the divisions in our country. "It's kind of a tough spot to be in right now. You know, you sit on one side of the fence or the other. You're scrutinized either way you sit" Holding a Bodnar yard sign, Sidle said he sits in the middle. When asked if this meant that Bodnar had his vote, he smiled. "Yeah, that'd be a safe assumption."
Seth Bodnar is a Green Beret, business leader, and former president of the University of Montana running for the U.S. Senate to be an independent voice for Montana. Seth is guided by a lifelong commitment to duty, honor, and country. He graduated first in his class at West Point and served multiple overseas deployments, leading soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and the 1st Special Forces Group, and serving as a special advisor to the commanding general in Iraq. After his military service and a successful career in business, Seth spent the last eight years leading the University of Montana. Under his leadership, the university achieved record high graduation rates, doubled research funding, launched the largest infrastructure renewal in campus history, restored financial stability, and was named the #1 military-friendly university in the country. Raised by two public school teachers, he believes leadership is about service, not party loyalty. Seth and his wife, a fifth-generation Montanan, are raising their three children in Montana.
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