The most crowded primary field in Montanas congressional elections this year is the Democratic race for U.S. Senate. Five Democratic candidates filed to run expecting to face incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. Instead , Daines dropped his reelection bid, and theyll be running against a new Republican challenger, the Libertarian nominee, and possibly independent candidate Seth Bodnar.The five Democratic candidates Alani Bankhead, Michael Black Wolf, Michael Hummert, Christopher Kehoe and Reilly Neill have all said theyre in the race to win, and theyve pushed back against speculation that the partys nominee could step aside after the primary to clear the field for Bodnar. The Montana Democratic Party said in a statement in March that it would be supporting candidates who run as Democrats. Full stop.See full interviews with all five Democratic Senate candidates below: Alani Bankhead:Alani Bankheads Senate campaign has emphasized her experience in the military and as an investigator with agencies like the Hawaii Attorney Generals Office. She says that has given her connections shell be able to draw on if shes elected.While I really respect the other candidates, it's going to take them two to three years to figure out how D.C. works, and Montana doesn't have two or three more years of suffering left in them, she told MTN. They need someone now who understands how to play within that system while not being part of the system, but to disrupt it to get the results that Montana needs.(Watch MTN's extended interview with Alani Bankhead.) U.S. Senate: Alani Bankhead, DemocratBankhead, of Helena, came to Montana about three years ago as she and her husband wound down their active-duty military careers. She says her career has been focused on investigating crimes like human trafficking and child sexual abuse, so shes prepared to hold people in power accountable.Bankhead says, after her time in the Air Force, she knows theres unnecessary spending in the defense budget that could be repurposed to help shore up services.If we claw that money back and incentivize folks to use that money appropriately, then we will get back hundreds of billions of dollars that we could reallocate towards things like healthcare would be my No. 1 priority that would get us to about two-thirds of the way to paying for Medicaid for all, said Bankhead. We would get the rest of the money by doing things like stopping the war in Iran, which is costing us up to $2 billion a day.While Bankhead is new to the state, she says shes been impressed by Montanas community values, and she wants to carry those values to Congress.Montana has that common-sense foundation, which is what everybody wants, she said. Michael Black Wolf:Michael Black Wolf says he decided to run for Senate because he was looking for Democratic leaders to push back harder against Trump administration policies and he felt he could make a difference.Everything that is happening is just really impacting and hurting all of our hard working, everyday Montanans, he said.(Watch MTN's extended interview with Michael Black Wolf.) U.S. Senate: Michael Black Wolf, DemocratBlack Wolf says Republican policies will be particularly harmful for groups like women and Native Americans. He says rising costs are the biggest concern for voters, whether in healthcare, in housing or for everyday purchases. He believes stricter work requirements for Medicaid recipients are going to put undue pressure on people who are already facing challenges.He says one of his biggest goals is overturning Trumps tariffs, which he believes are starting to have real impacts on Montanans.Let's start calling them what they are: They are import taxes, and I don't know if a lot of people realize that, but actually that's exactly what tariffs are just a fancy word for import taxes, he said. Ultimately, as the end users of anything that gets imported, we're the ones that end up paying those prices.Black Wolf, of Hays, is the tribal historic preservation officer for the Fort Belknap Indian Community. This is his first time running for higher office. He says hed bring the perspective of being born and raised in Montana and ready to represent people across the state.Never having been in organized politics I don't look at that as a weakness, I look at that as a strength, he said. Because I get to go in as a clean slate, I don't think that I'm going to be going in with biases or anything prebuilt-in, so to speak. I think that that's going to allow me, again, to represent all Montanans. Michael Hummert:Michael Hummert says he believes the United States is in a worse situation than most people realize, and that national leaders have been too focused on cultural issues that keep Americans divided.I would suggest that we stop with the culture wars and start doing the hard business, the things that the government needs to go back to like working with each other to solve the problems for the people, and give us some safety and security that our children deserve, he told MTN.(Watch MTN's extended interview with Michael Hummert.) U.S. Senate: Michael Hummert, DemocratHummerts top concern has been the growing national debt, and one of his main campaign issues has been calling for a constitutional amendment to require Congress to balance the federal budget.Without a balanced budget amendment, our country is I don't want to sound too dystopian, but it's doomed, he said. There's no way forward if we don't have a balanced budget amendment to control the economy. It's just as simple as that. This is an existential threat to our republic, and no one talks about it.Hummert is a Navy veteran and the former owner of a home remodeling business in Helena. In 2024, he challenged U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in the Democratic Senate primary.Hummert says the Trump administrations way of handling issues like tariffs and the war in Iran has created uncertainty. He wants Congress to take back a bigger role in policymaking to help create more consistency for businesses and the public.While Hummert is focused on getting the budget in line, he doesnt think steps like the Medicaid community engagement requirements Congress passed last year are the best way to accomplish that goal.I'm all for a balanced budget, but there's other ways to cut besides the human cost, he said. Christopher Kehoe:Christopher Kehoe, of Missoula was the last of the five Democratic candidates to file for U.S. Senate. He says he decided to get involved after two people were shot and killed by federal agents during protests against immigration officials in Minnesota where Kehoe grew up.I wish this not even on my worst enemy to not only be appalled by the actions, but to recognize the houses behind, to have walked those streets and to have worked in those neighborhoods, he told MTN.(Watch MTN's extended interview with Christopher Kehoe.) U.S. Senate: Christopher Kehoe, DemocratKehoe is an actor and arts administrator who came to Montana to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Montana. He says hes happy to support whoever eventually wins the Democratic nomination, but that he thinks its important for voters to have more choices.I don't hear a candidate or a political dialogue that actually inspires, that can provoke wonder and curiosity, he said. I think the knock-on effect of those is pride in our government and in our country. That pride can be more aspirational: what we hope to achieve in the next two, four, six years.Kehoe says Trumps approach to foreign policy and trade has been haphazard, and he wants to see the U.S. be more deliberative in how it interacts with other countries. He says tighter federal restrictions on programs like Medicaid and SNAP are a mistake, and that serving those in need should be a centerpiece of the governments policy.For me, being a Christian nation has nothing to do with controlling bodies and worrying about biological women competing in boys sports or anything like that, and has everything to do with how do we take care of the stranger, how do we feed the hungry, how do we heal the sick? said Kehoe. Reilly Neill:Reilly Neill says the best way for Democrats to get through to Montana voters is to meet them in person and having spent more than a year on the road, she believes shes in the best position to win.Each Montana community has different challenges, has different successes, and we need to be listening to these communities and serving them, she said. Right now, what I hear from Montanans is they don't feel like the representatives show up.(Watch MTN's extended interview with Reilly Neill.) U.S. Senate: Reilly Neill, DemocratNeill, of Livingston, has the most political experience of the Democratic Senate candidates. She was elected to a term in the Montana House in 2012 and ran a write-in campaign for U.S. House in 2024.Neill says healthcare costs are one of the biggest factors in the states affordability crisis. She supports a single-payer healthcare system, and says the federal governments tighter Medicaid eligibility requirements are harming people who are legitimately in need.It's offensive that these individuals have to fill out paperwork asking them questions like, What has changed in this person's health? she said. If you're born with Down's syndrome? Nothing. So having to fill these forms out, have these work requirements for people who are truly disabled our society takes care of the least among us, we don't put further regulations, further requirements.Neill says Montana voters, including in rural areas, are looking for someone willing to hold the government accountable and to stand up for their interests on issues like tariffs. She says, in the time shes spent holding town halls across the state, shes shown shes ready to do that.I think the one key in Montana to winning elections is humility, and I very much listen to Montanans, she said. I don't lead with my ideas; I lead with Montana's ideas.Editors Note: MTN is bringing you full coverage of the candidates in each of Montanas contested congressional primaries, leading up to mail ballots going out on Friday, May 8. You can find our coverage of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates now on this website. We will have a look at the two Libertarian candidates on Thursday, May 7. ...read more read less