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▼ Bad look for DainesElections / Campaigns

Montana Sen. Steve Daines won't seek re-election

Daines announced he would not seek re-election and withdrew his filing shortly before the deadline.

SOURCE CHECK

TAP FOR WHY
Outlet credibilityUnited Press International88/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 9, 2026
tl;dr

Montana Sen. Steve Daines announced he will not seek re-election and withdrew his filing just before the deadline. U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme filed to run minutes earlier, and President Donald Trump endorsed him later that evening.

Community verdict

22 VOTES
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Steve Daines R · MT · SEN

Counts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 41

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Steve Daines
R · MT · SEN

Montana senator who withdrew from the 2026 re-election race

PRIMARY SUBJECT
Kurt Alme
R · MT

Senate candidate who filed to run for Daines's seat

Alme's version of this story ↗

Democratic Senate candidate and Air Force veteran

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President who endorsed Alme

Democratic Senate candidate and Army and Navy veteran

Democratic Senate candidate

Greg Gianforte
Former U.S. Representative (R-MT)

Montana governor and Alme's former employer

Independent Senate candidate who criticized Daines's withdrawal

ALSO MENTIONED  Michael Black Wolf, Senate candidate and Fort Belknap Indian Community preservation officer and community leader

Part of a bigger story

23 OUTLETS
Steve Daines Withdraws From Montana Senate Re-Election Race

Daines withdrew from his reelection bid shortly before Montana’s filing deadline. Kurt Alme entered the race around the deadline, and Daines endorsed him as his preferred successor. Left-leaning outlets focus on whether Daines’s timing and endorsement narrowed the primary or kept potential recruits out. Center outlets mainly recount the exit, Alme’s entry and endorsements, while also reporting claims about the effect on competition. Right-leaning outlets generally pair Daines’s departure with his support for Alme, though their coverage also includes criticism of the timing.

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