Steve Daines' handpicked Senate successor Kurt Alme vows to keep Montana in Republican hands in 2026
Daines withdrew from the race and encouraged Alme to run for the seat.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The article is attributed to Fox News Digital and republished by Yahoo, so its reporting credibility rests primarily on Fox News. It identifies interview sources and includes opposing candidates’ views, though the reporting is largely built around one candidate’s account and campaign pitch.
- Source type — An established national news organization, though with a partisan orientation.
- Author attribution — The text identifies Fox News Digital as the interview source, but gives no individual author here.
- Editorial standards — The reporting attributes quotations and includes comments from opposing candidates, but offers limited independent verification or context.
The article uses a direct interview with Alme and includes criticism from Bodnar and a comment from Neill. It gives useful detail about how Alme entered the race, but gives little space to competing accounts or independent analysis of the race and its stakes.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents Alme’s explanation alongside criticism from Bodnar and a brief comment from Neill. Alme’s campaign case and endorsements receive substantially more detail than opposing candidates’ views.
- Counterarguments presented — Bodnar criticizes Daines’s withdrawal and Neill calls it a positive development, but neither receives extensive response or context.
- Source diversity — The story quotes Alme, Bodnar, and Neill, and includes Trump’s endorsement, but relies heavily on Alme’s interview.
- Omitted context — Provides little information about the candidates’ relative support, campaign platforms, or the broader race.
The story’s framing emphasizes Alme’s Republican credentials and the goal of keeping the seat in Republican hands. It includes criticism from Bodnar and Neill, but gives more space to Alme’s case and supportive Republican endorsements.
- Framing — Frames Alme’s candidacy around maintaining Republican control of the Senate and keeping Montana Republican.
- Source selection — Includes opposition from Bodnar and Neill, but the central interview and most campaign details come from Alme.
- Language tone — Uses campaign-oriented language about Alme’s bona fides and the effort to keep the state red.
Republished with credit
Republished from Fox News, with credit to the original publisher.
2,217 stories · 68.8–69.2 · updated Oct 13, 2026
This is Fox News's own score, and this article is credited to Fox News. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
Kurt Alme says he will campaign to keep Montana’s Senate seat Republican after Sen. Steve Daines withdrew and selected him as a successor. Alme faces independent Seth Bodnar and expected Democratic nominee Reilly Neill in the 2026 race.
Alme said Daines contacted him before Montana’s filing deadline and would withdraw only if Alme entered the race. Alme resigned as U.S. attorney and filed to run, saying he understood the importance of keeping the Senate seat Republican. Daines withdrew in early March, and the article reports that his opponents criticized the timing and his choice of successor.
Alme is running against independent Seth Bodnar and the expected Democratic nominee, former state representative Reilly Neill. Bodnar criticized Daines’s withdrawal as denying Montana Republicans a voice, while Neill called it a positive development for Montana. Alme is campaigning on fiscal discipline and the Trump administration’s crime crackdown and said he believes the Republican platform will perform well in the state.
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22 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 7
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SWIPE →President who endorsed Alme
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Expected Democratic Senate nominee
Montana governor who endorsed Alme
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Part of a bigger story
3 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Steve Daines withdrew from Montana’s Senate race shortly before the filing deadline and backed Kurt Alme to run in his place. Center outlets focus on the Republican primary field, profiling Alme and another candidate; right-leaning outlets frame Alme’s bid around keeping Montana’s Senate seat Republican.
- ARTICLES
- 7
- OUTLETS
- 3
- AVG CRED
- 55
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