ICYMI
“We are gaining momentum”: Independent Seth Bodnar on CNN's Inside Politics
Bodnar tells CNN he's within striking distance of a Montana Senate upset, outpolling the Democrat two-to-one and building a coalition of Montanans from both parties.
MISSOULA, MT — In case you missed it, Independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar joined CNN's Inside Politics with Manu Raju this week to make his case for how he plans to win Montana's Senate race in November, pointing to rising poll numbers, a coalition spanning the political spectrum, and both parties' failure to address the cost-of-living crisis facing Montana families.
Watch the full interview here. Below are key excerpts:
'We are gaining momentum.' Montana Independent Senate candidate thinks he can beat a Democrat and a Republican
Inside Politics, CNN, September 2023, 2026
This is about giving options to the voters in Montana who feel that their political system is not accountable to them. And you're seeing us move in the polls. I mean, both the Republican and I are in the 30s. I'm within striking distance, outpolling the Democrat 2-to-1. Our momentum is building. The largest voting bloc right now in Montana is not Democrat, it's not Republican—it's Independent. And that big block of Independents, moderate Republicans, and moderate Democrats, they deserve a voice, and that's the coalition we're building.
Speaking to the issues that Montanans are facing—the challenges that Montanans are facing. Skyrocketing costs—diesel $6.30 a gallon right now. Montana farmers in crisis, rural communities in crisis. They're looking for people who are going to represent them and bring solutions. They're not looking for party labels right now. They're looking for people who are going to be accountable to the people of the great state of Montana and nobody else. That's the coalition we're building.
You see skyrocketing costs—housing, healthcare out of reach, no solution. Power ping-pongs back and forth, nothing gets better. That's why nearly 50% of Americans, when asked their political affiliation, are now saying Independent. The problem is they don't have people representing them, and that's where the hunger is. That's where you're seeing this movement of more and more Americans saying, "I want leaders who are accountable, not to a party boss in D.C., but to the voters who sent them there in the first place." That's what we're offering.
I’m going to work with either side when it makes sense for Montana, when it makes sense for the United States of America, and I'm going to stand up to either side when it doesn't. Montanans are sick of straight party-line voting. Last year was the most partisan year in the history of the U.S. Congress. Look where it's getting us. What we're doing right now isn't working. That's why those approval ratings that you just saw are so low, when Americans want something different.
It's shameful that we've seen Republican leaders in Congress abdicate their constitutional obligations. The Founders made it very clear that Congress is supposed to have the power to declare war, to send America's sons and daughters to shed blood on foreign soil. When Congress abdicates that responsibility, when they don't force the Commander-in-Chief to lay out why this is an imminent threat, what the strategy is, what the exit plan is, that's how you end up losing a war in Iran. The Senate needs to do its job. Republicans need to step up. I'm glad to see some of them finally doing it; I wish they had done it six months ago.
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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