Four U.S. Senate candidates — Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, independent Seth Bodnar and Libertarian Kyle Austin — debated in Bozeman on Sunday, less than a month before the Nov. 3 general election. The forum, hosted by the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montan a Foundation and broadcast by Montana PBS, was moderated by MTN News’ Jonathon Ambarian, Montana Radio Company’s Stewart Davis, NBC Montana’s Laura Freeman and NonStop Local’s Ben Wineman.  Bankhead, Bodnar and Austin have already met on stage. This marks Alme’s first debate appearance. The four candidates will get together again for an Oct. 18 forum in Billings.  Alme, the frontrunner, was the target of the lion’s share of the debate’s attack lines, mostly for backing congressional Republican stances on tariffs, immigration and the war in Iran. Bankhead and Austin each took notable swings at Bodnar, primarily arguing that he is not as “independent” a candidate as he claims. Moderators asked about a dozen questions during the 90-minute debate. What follows are the standout moments.  AFFORDABILITY Affordability dominated the early part of the debate. Moderators asked about the cost of healthcare, housing and daily living expenses. A Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll last month identified affordability as the No. 1 issue influencing voters. About 3 in 5 Montanans said healthcare specifically was very important in influencing their vote.  Bodnar supported renewing ACA subsidies, defended Medicaid expansion and took a shot across the bow at Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law in the summer of 2025.  “My Republican opponent will talk about supporting rural health care, but his party just decimated our rural hospitals with these changes last year,” Bodnar said.  Alme signaled alignment with his party’s approach. “Republicans in Congress just passed the Working Family Tax Cuts Act — which my two liberal opponents opposed — which provided $50 billion of new investment in rural health care,” Alme said.  Alme referred to Bodnar and Bankhead as his “liberal opponents” three more times over the course of the debate. PARTY ALLEGIANCE Alme and Bankhead teamed up on their opponents when moderators asked how Bodnar and Austin would gain Senate committee assignments without caucusing with either major political party.  “The work in the U.S. Senate gets done in the committees,” Alme said. “These two candidates have said they won’t caucus with either party. They won’t get committee assignments. Montana will be seriously underrepresented.”  Austin said that being effective in the Senate is “about leadership, not party.” Bodnar called the issue a “red herring,” arguing that “every senator can get committee assignments.” Bankhead said choosing not to caucus with a party “effectively neuters that position.”  “It’s incredibly naive of anybody to say that they’re not actually going to be caucusing with anybody,” Bankhead said.  TARIFFS In response to a question about tariffs, Bankhead criticized the costs passed on to Montana ranchers, citing the ongoing trade war with Canada and highlighting President Donald Trump’s decision to import foreign beef, which some Montana ranchers disagreed with.  “What we need to do to support ag is actually hold the administration accountable,” Bankhead said. “This Argentinian mystery meat that’s coming in completely goes against their best interest, and it goes against the will of the people, which is to receive great quality meat products produced locally.” Bodnar and Austin also slammed Trump’s tariffs. Bodnar called for an end to “nonsensical, non-strategic trade wars that are driving up costs for all of us.” Austin advocated “0% tariffs.”  Alme took a more measured approach.  “I had my doubts about tariffs, but Canada has gone with unfair trade for too long. Somebody needed to stand up and push back for a level playing field,” Alme said, adding that he hopes the administration will negotiate “a deal” that “provides more trade opportunities for Montana wheat and beef and pulses and barley.” IMMIGRATION  On immigration and the war in Iran, Alme took heat from all three of his opponents, who said they supported keeping criminals out of the country while also reforming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “A border should allow good people in and keep bad people out,” Bankhead said. Austin said ICE should “treat these people like people.” Bodnar called ICE “a masked, untrained, unaccountable paramilitary force.” Alme backed the country’s chief executive.  “Securing the border is common sense. And President Trump has done it,” Alme said. “And as United States Attorney, I helped secure our border by prosecuting criminal illegal aliens and going after drug gangs all the way up to the cartels.” THE WAR IN IRAN Bodnar called congressional Republicans “cowards” for allowing the war in Iran to continue.   “Our sons and daughters that are spilling blood on foreign soil right now are paying the cost of that cowardice,” Bodnar said. Alme held the administration’s line, arguing that U.S. intervention will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. “We need to support the president, our troops, and our diplomats as they work to set back Iran’s nuclear program and work to reopen their control of the straits,” Alme said.  Alme said he wants “a quick and a successful end to the conflict.” The candidates were largely in harmony regarding their support for safeguards on artificial intelligence. And each quickly transitioned their answer into a stance of wariness regarding data centers — another issue about which the MTFP-Eagleton poll revealed strong voter feelings.  AI AND DATA CENTERS Alme focused on holding data center developers accountable to the public.  “We need to be sure that if a data center company comes into this state, that they’re transparent, they’re clear about their cost to the community and other effects,” Alme said.  Bodnar said he would work “to stop any AI data center that wants to come into this state and exploit Montana communities, taking our water, driving up utility rates.” Bankhead warned that her opponents wouldn’t do enough in the Senate. “This entire election, all roads lead to AI data centers,” Bankhead said. “And I am the loudest on this stage about being opposed to them.”  “I’ve always said I don’t want data centers in my backyard in Montana,” Austin said. “But I want them in the ocean. So when they get out of control, we can sink them.” The post Senate hopefuls trade jabs at first all-candidate debate appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less