Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines drops his re-election bid minutes before the deadline

Billings, Mont. (AP) – Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana abandoned his bid for a third term on Wednesday in a surprise withdrawal just minutes before the deadline for filing candidates.

Daines, 63, said in a statement that he wrestled with the decision for several months before deciding to retire. He said he looks forward to spending time with his seven grandchildren and more time in Montana.

Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, also a Republican, entered the race shortly before the state’s deadline for major party nominees.

It appears that the maneuver was carefully coordinated. Almi almost immediately won the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who praised Daines — essentially affirming the senator’s role in engineering Almi to become his successor.

“Unfortunately for our country, Steve’s term has come to an end, and he has decided to leave the Senate and ‘pass the torch’ to Kurt Alme, the 45th US Attorney General and Trump’s 47th,” Trump said.

Other lawmakers have also used last-minute recalls to appoint a hand-picked successor. Last fall, the House censured Rep. Chuy Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, for the way he planned his retirement in order to clear the way for his chief of staff.

Read more: House rebukes Illinois congressman over his succession plan, dividing Democrats

Daines’ announcement came on the heels of another change in Montana’s Republican landscape for November: On Monday, four-term Rep. Ryan Zinke announced his retirement due to health issues. Zinke quickly endorsed a former member of his staff, radio talk show host Aaron Flynt, who also received support from Trump.

Al Olszewski, a former state senator running for Zinke’s seat, accused both Daines and Zinke of betraying the people of Montana and urged voters to reject their hand-picked successors.

“We do not simply accept the replacements that the deep state and DC choose to control us,” said Olszewski, a Republican.

An independent candidate is also running

The jockeying among state Republicans came on the same day that former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar launched an independent campaign for Daines’ seat.

Bodnar’s decision to run without party support highlights the declining standing of Democrats. The party did not control any statewide offices after defeating three-term incumbent Sen. Jon Tester two years ago.

No known Democrats had entered the Senate race by Wednesday’s deadline.

Republicans have a slim majority in the Senate, holding 53 seats compared to 45 seats for Democrats, in addition to two independent seats. Daines is the 15th senator to announce his retirement since the 2024 election, the most in any single term since 2013.

He watches: How retirements and redistricting could affect the 2026 midterm elections

After Daines’ announcement, Bodnar said the lawmaker “had so little respect for Montana Republicans that he withdrew at the last minute to crown his chosen successor, rather than give them a voice at the ballot box.”

Bodnar, a native of Grove City, Pennsylvania, graduated top of his class from West Point and served in the Army Special Forces before working as an executive at General Electric Transportation.

He said in a video message that the American political system is broken and that elected officials in Washington only care about the rich and powerful.

The National Republican Senate Committee called Bodnar a “fake independent” and criticized him as an “advocate” for allowing transgender athletes to participate in college sports.

A spokesman for Bodnar sidestepped questions about whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans if elected.

“When Seth reaches the Senate, he will fight for new leadership and negotiate a role that gives Montanans the strongest voice possible,” Roy Lowenstein said.

Republicans have consolidated their hold on Montana

Almi was a federal prosecutor before being appointed U.S. attorney during Trump’s two terms. He served under two Republican governors as budget director and revenue director.

“As a Montana native, I have always been committed to serving our communities, upholding the rule of law, and fighting for the safety and prosperity of every family in our state,” he said in a statement.

Daines served one term in the House before running successfully in 2014 for the Senate seat previously held by Democrat Max Baucus. He won by a large margin over an unknown opponent after Baucus’ likely Democratic successor, Lt. Col. John Walsh, dropped out of the race after reports that he plagiarized parts of his thesis while attending the U.S. Army War College.

In 2020, Daines beat Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 percentage points. At the time the campaign was the most expensive in Montana political history.

Federal Election Commission campaign filings show Daines has raised more than $8 million since his last election in 2020. He had about $5 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31, according to the filings.

Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Maya Swidler in Washington contributed.