Get an insider’s look into what’s happening in and around the halls of power with expert reporting, analysis and insight from the editors and reporters of Montana Free Press. Sign up to get the free Capitolized newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up April 16, 2026 Democrats in Montana’s U.S. Senate race are struggling mightily to keep up with the fundraising of independent candidate Seth Bodnar and Republican Kurt Alme, both of whom reported having roughly a million to spend after the first federal fundraising period.  Alme is in a walk-off primary against two candidates, Charles Walking Child Sr. and Lee Calhoun, both of whom have zero dollars to report. Bodnar is gathering signatures to qualify for the November election and doesn’t have a primary. Wednesday marked the deadline for the campaign finance reports for all congressional candidates. Records show the five Democratic U.S. Senate hopefuls holding a combined $131,759 cash on hand, with roughly $104,000 belonging to Reilly Neill, a former state legislator from Livingston who has been campaigning since November 8, 2024. Seth Bodnar, independent candidate for U.S. Senate, talks to prospective voters during a meet-and-greet event at Benny’s Bistro in Helena on Mar. 7, 2026. Credit: Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local/Report for America Bodnar, the former University of Montana president who registered his candidacy in February, leads all-comers with $1.14 million. As an independent, Bodnar must gather 13,327 signatures from qualified voters to make the November ballot. He has until May 26 to get those signatures to local election offices. Alme, who registered his candidacy eight minutes before the March 4 deadline, reported having $908,956 to spend. He is the former U.S. attorney for the District of Montana twice appointed by President Donald Trump and backed by U.S. Steve Daines. Montana’s senior Republican senator withdrew his candidacy in the last minutes before the deadline, and then lent Alme an endorsement and campaign staff. “Democrats still believe in democratic choice — that’s why we have a slate of working-class candidates running to improve the lives of everyday Montanans,” said Emily Marburger, Montana Democratic Party executive director, in a prepared Thursday statement about the fundraising totals. “As big, corporate money pours in for wealthy elites like a fence-sitting independent and a MAGA hand-picked successor, we are proud that our candidates for U.S. Senate are traveling the state, meeting with Montanans, and earning every vote and dollar.” Marburger’s statement continued: “We’re excited for the upcoming election and looking forward to helping the winner of the Democratic primary win in November.” The last time Montana Democrats in a U.S. Senate race posted less than $150,000 for the first quarter of an election year was 1988 (incumbent John Melcher and Bob Kelleher combined for $144,059). That election was the first win for former Republican U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns. Once the primary election is over, money will flow to the Democratic candidate if that candidate has a chance of winning, former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who was a longshot challenger to Burns in 2000, told Capitolized. Aaron Flint, running for Congress in Montana’s Western District to replace retiring Rep. Ryan Zinke, spoke to the Pachyderm Club in Missoula on Friday, April 10, 2026. Flint, a longtime talk radio host and veteran, spoke to the crowd of about 15 people on affordability, housing, and preserving Montana’s way of life. Credit: John Stember “I didn’t have any chance of winning. I didn’t have the support of the Washington D.C. insiders or even our elected officials back there. And I’d raised a couple hundred thousand dollars and it was August, the year of the election. So, I went on TV. I was all by myself. I bought TV [ads] in August, and Burns didn’t go up until September. I raised a hell of a lot of money and lost by [3.3]%.”  Four years after losing to Burns, Schweitzer was elected governor. The money brought in during the first few months of Montana’s competitive Western District U.S. House race was a little more balanced. Republican Aaron Flint led all filers with $429,399 in the bank. His Republican challenger Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen posted $253,387 cash on hand. Al Olszewski, a former state lawmaker from Kalispell, posted $282,121 cash on hand. Ryan Busse, a 2026 Democratic primary candidate for Montana’s Western Congressional District, responds to a question during a debate at the Mother Lode Theater in Butte on Mar. 10, 2026. Credit: Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local/Report for America Democrat Ryan Busse was second among all candidates for cash on hand, with $368,145. Busse was also the Democrat’s 2024 candidate for governor. Sam Forstag reported $212,542. There were two major party candidates who reported having less than $100,000 by the filing deadline: Russ Cleveland, with $65,102, and Matt Rains, with $46,411. A candidate must file a finance report if they spend or receive $5,000. No Libertarian or independent in the Western District race hit the reportable minimum. For Democrats, the finances in the Eastern District resembled the Senate ledger. Incumbent Republican Rep. Troy Downing had $445,919 to spend. His closest competitor was independent Michael Eisenhauer. A Great Falls cardiologist, Eisenhauer reported $133,710 cash on hand. The Democrats in the race, Sam Lux, Brian James Miller and Jonathan Windy Boy, reported a combined $2,675. — Tom Lutey In Case You Missed It Jonathan Windy Boy, a Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Montana’s Eastern Congressional District, talks about his background and policy stances during the 48th annual Mansfield Metcalf Dinner on March 7, 2026, in Helena. Credit: Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local/Report for America State Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy dropped out of the Democratic primary for U.S. House representing Montana’s Eastern Congressional District, according to a Thursday morning announcement by the Montana Democratic Party. That announcement referenced unspecified “allegations of serious sexual abuse against Mr. Windy Boy.” In a video statement posted Thursday afternoon to the Facebook page of American Indian Caucus Director Lance FourStar, and later removed, Windy Boy said he is suspending his campaign, citing his declining health and grief over the deaths of his cousin, who he said died last month, and his daughter. READ MORE: Democratic Party announces state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy’s withdrawal from Eastern District House primary Letter Rip Not long after Montana’s U.S. Senators joined fellow Republicans to thwart a Democratic resolution to end American war activity in Iran, a bipartisan group of state legislators put the delegation on notice. “We call upon you, as Montana’s voice in Congress, to demand full congressional oversight hearings on this war. Without such oversight, neither Congress nor the public can have confidence that the costs of this conflict are being honestly evaluated or that its aims are commensurate with those costs.” Of the 50 legislators who signed the list, eight were Republicans, including Tom McGillvray, of Billings, the Montana Senate majority leader, and Theresa Manzella, of Hamilton, who also serves as the chair of the State Administration and Veterans Affairs Committee. en. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, listens to testimony at the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2023. Credit: Samuel Wilson / Bozeman Daily Chronicle Wednesday’s U.S. Senate resolution would have required military actions against Iran to stop unless Congress voted to authorize a specific mission. It was the fourth time since February 28 that such a bill was proposed. The War Powers Act of 1973, ratified in response to the Vietnam War, blocks military action by the president after 60 days of military action — but only if Congress doesn’t declare war, as only it can do, or authorizes use of military force. The president can use an additional 30 days to withdraw troops should Congress not vote to extend the use of force. For Manzella, money was the reason to prod that state’s all-Republican congressional delegation. “War is very, very expensive and I want some accountability and some transparency on where the money is going and how it is being used,” Manzella told Capitolized. “It’s not that I don’t support what Trump is doing, but I do think that Congress is obligated to be involved in the discussions.”  America is approaching $40 trillion in government debt, which suggests Congress isn’t doing a good job of accounting for spending, Manzella said. As Capitolized has reported previously, Montana’s delegation — Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, Reps. Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke — have been vocal supporters of Trump’s Iran goals. “Senator Sheehy supports the Trump administration’s righteous effort to bring an end to the Iranian regime that has brutally targeted, tortured, and killed Americans for nearly 50 years,” said Tate Mitchell, a spokesperson for Sheehy, in a Thursday statement. “Just as Congress may assert its sole authority over armed conflict abroad, this body reserves the right to permit the President to conduct military activity for a limited duration under the War Powers Resolution,” Downing said in a Thursday written statement delivered via a spokesperson. “President Trump acted within his Article II authorities when pursuing action against Iran and reported these actions to Congress within 48 hours of deploying U.S. forces. He is therefore presently under no obligation to terminate operations.” The war’s economic consequences, its impact on oil and gas shipments, and the consequences of lifting sanctions on Russian oil sales are all issues that deserve public hearings, Montana legislators said. “When Republicans and Democrats in Montana agree on something this serious, Washington should take the hint: do your job, hold hearings, and stop treating war like it doesn’t require permission,” said Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula. “This isn’t about left or right, it’s about whether we still believe the Constitution means what it says. War powers belong to Congress, and Montanans deserve transparency before more lives and resources are committed.” Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, talks with a fellow legislator before the minority rebuttal to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s State of the State address in the Montana State Capitol on Jan. 25, 2023. Credit: Samuel Wilson / Bozeman Daily Chronicle Democrats had sent an earlier letter to the delegation March 31, after which talks with Republican legislators began about sending a bipartisan letter. Reps. Tom Millett, R-Marion, and Tom France, D-Missoula, worked out the details. “The federal constitution, our constitution, is clear that Congress must be consulted on issues of war and peace. This has not happened and must concur. We hope our congressional leaders will lead in this effort,” Millett said in a news release. — Tom Lutey On Background Trump’s Iran threats divide Montana officeholders and candidates. Montana oil politics heat up as war in Iran continues. Olszewski: “I don’t like the war, but I’m respecting the president’s position.” The post On the money appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less