Candidates › Montana U.S. Senate race › 2025–2026

Seth Bodnar

I Independent nominee for U.S. Senate, Montana

Has not served in Congress

On the ballot: On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Montana US Senate
The race: Everyone running for Montana U.S. Senate · Compare Bodnar with them
Where to vote: Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote

SummaryAt a glance

Top priorities: END THE COSTLY AND UNAUTHORIZED WAR IN IRAN
STOP RECKLESS TARIFFS DRIVING UP PRICES
LOWER HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS AND DRUG COSTS
FIGHT DATA CENTERS AND STAND UP TO BIG TECH
SECURE OUR BORDER AND ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS
Read all 28 in their words
Money: $4.9M raised, $4.3M spent, $580.9K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
Who gives: 15% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 35% from Montana · largest committee giver NARRAGANSETT BAY PAC, $10K
Outside groups: $2.6M supporting, $1M opposing Bodnar
Backed by: STEVE BULLOCK · MARC RACICOT · JON TESTER and 36 more. As the campaign lists them
Polling: 29.4% in the latest poll (Quantus Insights) · trails Kurt Alme by 18.1 points on average. The polls

Their wordsWhat does Bodnar say they will do?

28 priorities from sethformontana.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.

28 priorities · 40 quoted statements

Does Seth Bodnar support the war in Iran? No. Seth supports:
- Reasserting Congress's constitutional authority to declare war before American troops are committed to combat.
- Requiring the administration to answer three questions to Congress and the public before any further military action: why is this an imminent threat, what's the strategy, and what's the exit plan.
- A War Powers Resolution vote, since this administration has never sought formal authorization for this conflict.
- Ending the abdication of responsibility that's cost Montanans at the pump and at the fertilizer dealer; this war has already cost tens of billions of dollars, with Pentagon officials telling Congress the first week alone cost $6 billion.
- Pursuing diplomatic engagement to de-escalate and end the conflict, rather than an open-ended military commitment with no stated objective.
Seth opposes further escalation, including ground troops or additional strikes, absent a congressional vote.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com ↗ (opens sethformontana.com at this heading)
Does Seth Bodnar support tariffs? It depends. He supports targeted, strategic tariffs as leverage against countries actually cheating on trade, but opposes blanket tariffs on allies like Canada, and wants any tariff paired with real relief for the producers absorbing the cost. Seth supports:
- Reassert Congress's constitutional authority over tariffs.
- Support targeted, strategic tariffs used as leverage against countries actually cheating on trade, not blanket tariffs on allies like Canada.
- Pair any tariff used as genuine leverage with dollar-for-dollar relief for the producers absorbing the cost.
- Push for durable, enforceable trade agreements over open-ended tariff uncertainty.
Seth opposes tariffs on potash, fertilizer, lumber, and steel that raise costs producers and homebuilders can't pass along.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar lower health care costs? Yes. Seth supports:
- Providing an affordable coverage option for every American without losing choice or competition.
- Capping insulin and other lifesaving drugs at $35 a month for every Montanan, not just the ones on Medicare.
- Restoring the enhanced ACA subsidies that expired, which caused premiums to spike nearly 30 percent in a single year for Montanans on the individual marketplace.
- Defending Medicaid expansion, which has helped keep every rural hospital in Montana open.
- Expanding Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices; the first ten drugs negotiated are already selling for 38 to 79 percent less.
- Reversing bureaucratic work-requirement rules on track to strip coverage from an estimated 30,000 Montanans.
- Increasing price transparency requirements for hospitals and drug-pricing middlemen.
- Protecting Medicaid's role covering long-term nursing home and in-home care, so families caring for an aging parent or disabled adult child aren't left without a backup plan.
- Ending surprise medical bills by giving existing transparency rules real enforcement teeth.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar stand up to Big Tech and data centers? Yes. Seth supports:
- Stopping any data center that raises Montanans' power bills, threatens our water or wildlife habitat, or moves forward without the community having the final say.
- Passing the Ratepayer Protection Act to legally bar utilities from passing data center energy costs onto residential ratepayers.
- Requiring mandatory public disclosure of a project's water and energy use before permits are issued.
- Giving local communities explicit authority to review and reject proposed data center projects.
- Requiring energy companies that profit from Montana's public lands, fossil fuel or renewable, to pay their fair share of royalties back to Montanans.
- Putting the cost of cleaning up industrial sites on private industry, not taxpayers.
- Holding utilities to the ratepayer commitments made in mergers, like NorthWestern-Black Hills, and applying that same standard to every future deal.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar secure the border and enforce our immigration laws? Yes. Seth supports:
- Achieving real operational control of the border, including the technology, personnel, and infrastructure that actually works.
- Enforcing the immigration laws already on the books.
- Cracking down on the cartels moving fentanyl into Montana communities.
- Fixing a legal immigration system that takes years and doesn't serve Montana's ranches, farms, or hospitals.
- Protecting due process and constitutional rights for every American citizen.
- Giving the northern border the same attention and resources as the southern border.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar protect the Second Amendment? Yes. Seth supports
- Protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Montana gun owners.
- Enforcing the laws already on the books rather than adding new mandates.
- Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists, and people who are a danger to themselves or others.
- Addressing the mental health crisis in this country as part of the solution.
Seth opposes a federal assault weapons ban, a new universal background check mandate, and a federal red-flag law.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar defend reproductive freedom? Yes. Seth supports:
- Codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.
- Defending the right Montanans wrote into their own state constitution through CI-128, passed with nearly 60 percent support.
- Keeping the government out of every Montanan's private health care decisions.
- Protecting access to contraception and IVF.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar fight for Montana farmers and ranchers? Yes. Seth supports:
- Restoring Country of Origin Labeling for beef so Montana producers can compete on quality.
- Reauthorizing Livestock Mandatory Reporting so price discovery works for producers.
- Enforcing antitrust law against the four companies that control nearly 85 percent of meatpacking capacity.
- Passing Right to Repair for farm equipment.
- Requiring weekly fertilizer price reporting.
Seth opposes flooding the U.S. beef market with foreign imports with no guarantee it lowers consumer prices.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar protect Montana's public lands? Hell yes. Seth supports:
- Fully funding the Forest Service, BLM, and Park Service.
- Supporting active forest management to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk.
- Passing the River Runs Through It Act and similar collaborative conservation efforts.
- Seth will oppose any sale or transfer of public land, full stop.
Seth will oppose any budget provision that uses public lands as a bargaining chip.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Montanans have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and Seth will protect it for the generations to come. Montanans see the effects of a changing climate every year: longer and more destructive fire seasons, smoke-filled summers, shrinking snowpack, and lower, warmer rivers that threaten our fisheries, farms, and ranches. For too long, Washington has let ideology creep into a conversation that should be about science, engineering, and economics. Seth will bring that conversation back to the facts, and fight for energy that is clean, reliable, and affordable for Montana families.
Seth supports:
- Defending every Montanan’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and the clean air, clean water, and healthy lands that make Montana home.
- A genuine all-of-the-above energy strategy that keeps baseload power reliable while bringing more wind and solar online to lower utility costs.
- Keeping existing wind and solar projects on the grid, and evaluating new energy projects based on engineering, technology, and science, not ideology.
- Federal investment in new generation and transmission, so Montana can meet growing demand without blackouts or rate spikes.
- Protecting our rivers, aquifers, and water rights for the farmers, ranchers, anglers, and families who depend on them, especially during drought.
- Supporting farmers and ranchers on the front lines of drought and a changing climate.
- Strengthening America’s energy independence, so we’re less beholden to petro-dictators and foreign oil when global conflicts drive up prices.
- Opposing any sale or transfer of public lands, and fully funding the agencies that protect our forests, watersheds, and wildlife habitat.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Seth Bodnar believes the government has no business dictating who you love, how you worship, or how you choose to live your life. Seth supports:
- Defending the right to marry the person you love, a right already protected under federal law, and opposing any effort to roll it back.
- Keeping the government out of personal and family decisions that belong to individuals, not politicians in Helena or Washington.
- Protecting freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to be left alone by a government that too often tries to tell people how to live.
- Standing against government overreach into any Montanan's personal life, regardless of who's in power or which party is doing the overreaching.
Seth will oppose discrimination against any Montanan, including LGBTQ+ Montanans, in employment, housing, or public life.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)
Will Seth Bodnar invest in Montana's public schools? Yes. Seth supports:
- Providing robust federal support for public K-12 schools and oppose cuts that hurt Montana districts.
- Delivering competitive pay for teachers so Montana stops losing them to other states.
- Protecting Pell Grants and student loan programs that make college possible for working families.
- Supporting tribal colleges as cornerstone institutions in their communities.
- Expanding career and technical education, apprenticeships, and the trades.
Seth will oppose school vouchers that siphon public tax dollars to private schools.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · sethformontana.com/issues
Heading as listed on sethformontana.com/issues ↗ (opens sethformontana.com/issues at this heading)

MoneyWho pays for the campaign, and where does it go?

Raised

$4.9M

$4,918,341

Spent

$4.3M

$4,337,420

Cash on hand

$580.9K

$580,921

FEC filings, Mar 4, 2026 to Oct 14, 2026 · Official FEC bulk data · committee C00941708

Raised, spent and cash over time by FEC report

88¢ of every dollar raised has been spent across 5 reports ($4.3M of $4.9M). Cash on hand went from $1.1M on Mar 31, 2026 to $580.9K on Oct 14, 2026.

Raised, spent and cash on hand by FEC report
Report	Raised in the period	Spent in the period	Cash on hand at its close
APRIL QUARTERLY 2026 through Mar 31, 2026	$1,358,575	$213,587	$1,144,988
PRE-PRIMARY 2026 through May 13, 2026	$757,539	$936,397	$966,130
JULY QUARTERLY 2026 through Jun 30, 2026	$1,122,037	$1,110,388	$977,779
OCTOBER QUARTERLY 2026 through Sep 30, 2026	$1,445,984	$1,678,659	$745,105
PRE-GENERAL 2026 through Oct 14, 2026	$234,206	$398,390	$580,921

Each report’s own period, as filed with the FEC; a report filed again counts once, as its latest copy.

Where the money came from $4,918,341 reported receipts

Itemized (over $200)Donors who have given more than $200 this cycle, so the FEC itemizes (names) them.$4,023,48182%

Largest donors

James Guyette8 contributions, latest Mar 16, 2026 · MC ALLISTER, MT$49,000
Sean Gallinger4 contributions, latest Jun 30, 2026 · BOZEMAN, MT$21,000
Stephen Nelson4 contributions, latest May 3, 2026 · MISSOULA, MT$21,000
Bill Woody4 contributions, latest May 4, 2026 · MISSOULA, MT$21,000
Susan Hall5 contributions, latest Jun 4, 2026 · NOT EMPLOYED · CAMBRIDGE, MA$8,000
Richard Rosen3 contributions, latest Apr 20, 2026 · FRANKFORT, KY$8,000
Roy S. O'Connor5 contributions, latest Jun 30, 2026 · MISSOULA, MT$7,500
Anne Abramson2 contributions, latest May 12, 2026 · NOT EMPLOYED · WASHINGTON, DC$7,000
Ronald Abramson2 contributions, latest May 5, 2026 · ATTORNEY · BUCHANAN INGERSOLL & ROONEY · WASHINGTON, DC$7,000
Matthew Adams2 contributions, latest Mar 17, 2026 · NOT EMPLOYED · BOZEMAN, MT

EndorsementsWho does Bodnar’s campaign say backs them?

39 endorsers listed on Seth Bodnar’s own campaign site: 2 parties, 17 officials, 5 unions, 10 organizations, 5 people.

This is the campaign's claim, checked by an editor against its page; the endorsers have not confirmed it to us. Each name opens the campaign’s page with that name highlighted.

Parties 2

Officials 17

STEVE BULLOCK
former Democratic Governor of Montana
MARC RACICOT
former Republican Governor of Montana
JON TESTER
former Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana
SUSAN GEISE
former Chair of the Montana Republican Party
DOROTHY BRADLEY
former Democratic legislator and gubernatorial candidate
MAX BAUCUS
former Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana
NANCY KEENAN
former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America
MONICA LINDEEN
former Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance

Unions 5

Montana AFL-CIO
“The Montana AFL-CIO's endorsement process is built on one principle: identifying candidates who show up, do the work, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to Montana's working families. Seth Bodnar did exactly that. From the very beginning of our endorsement process through its completion, he engaged thoughtfully, answered the tough questions, completed every step, and demonstrated that his values align with the priorities of working people across our state. That's why we're proud to endorse Seth Bodnar for the United States Senate," said Jason Small, Executive Secretary of the Montana AFL-CIO.”
MONTANA FEDERATION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
“We see our union’s political diversity and our members’ sincere desire to put politics aside to do what’s right for Montanan’s families reflected in Seth Bodnar,” said MFPE President Melissa Romano. “The son of public school teachers and a former university leader, Seth knows that supporting public schools, services, and safety is how our representatives in Congress should reflect Montana’s values.”
SEIU 775 MONTANA
BOILERMAKERS LOCAL 11
IBEW LOCAL 532 (BILLINGS, MT)

Organizations 10

Planned Parenthood Action Fund
“As a Green Beret, I fought to protect and defend our freedoms, and that includes reproductive freedom. As Montana’s Independent voice in the U.S. Senate, I’ll work every day to keep the government out of Montanans’ doctor’s offices and exam rooms, because the decisions made there belong to Montanans, not to a politician in D.C.,” said Bodnar. “Montanans made their decision clear when an overwhelming majority of us voted to protect this right in our own constitution, and I’m honored to have the endorsement of Reproductive Freedom for All.”
END CITIZENS UNITED
“Montanans know that Washington is only working for billionaires and powerful special interests, and they are demanding change," said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. "Seth Bodnar represents that change. He'll tackle the corruption that's become commonplace in the halls of Congress and restore integrity. We are proud to endorse Seth and look forward to helping him win in November.”
MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS
VOTE VETS
“During my nearly ten years in uniform, party lines didn't exist on the ground—it was all about showing up for the person standing beside you," said Seth Bodnar. "That's how I'll serve Montana in the Senate. Our veterans and military families deserve a leader who works for them, not politicians who play political games with the benefits and care they've earned. Having VoteVets in our corner is a true honor.”
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FOR ALL
FORWARD MONTANA
INDEPENDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA
“Independent Veterans of America is very proud to endorse independent Army veteran Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate from Montana. In this time of war, division, turmoil, corruption and partisan failure, independent veteran Seth Bodnar represents hope for Montanans, for veterans, and for all Americans. Seth Bodnar also represents a game changing threat to both the Democrat and Republican parties and our country's badly broken, hyper-partisan political system. He is an impressive, committed and serious leader that is uniting people of all backgrounds across Montana. He is a decorated Green Beret, university president, and visionary independent leader who has galvanized extraordinary grassroots energy across Montana.”
POLITICAL INTEGRITY PROJECT

People 5

GARY BUCHANAN
former Independent congressional candidate
“I’ve known and worked with Seth Bodnar during the years he served as President of the University of Montana. In that time, I quickly learned that Seth’s motivation and success, throughout his career, are the product of his character, integrity, and dedication to service. As a result, if elected, I have no doubt he will make an excellent U.S. Senator for Montana," said Marc Racicot, former Republican Governor of Montana 1993-2001. "Montana is an independent state in spirit, and Seth Bodnar carries that tradition proudly. As a veteran, patriot, and father, Seth will take those values to Washington, DC where they’re in short supply," said Susan Geise, former Chair of the Montana Republican Party”
MELISSA ROMANO
President of the Montana Federation of Public Employees
ERIN FOLEY
President of the Montana AFL-CIO, the Principal Officer of Teamsters Union Local 2
ROBYN DRISCOLL
former Montana State Representative, State Senator, and Chair of the Montana Democratic Party
Marlin Heater
US Army, Retired

Top donor states
Name		Amount
Montana home1,127 contributions · 35%		$972,681
California399 contributions · 20%		$554,943
New York132 contributions · 9.6%		$269,463
Massachusetts134 contributions · 5.9%		$165,430
Washington82 contributions · 4.6%		$128,913
Colorado47 contributions · 3.2%		$88,500
District of Columbia62 contributions · 2.9%		$81,750
Maryland40 contributions · 1.9%		$52,796

Top donor states

Name

Amount

Montana home1,127 contributions · 35%

$972,681

California399 contributions · 20%

$554,943

New York132 contributions · 9.6%

$269,463

Massachusetts134 contributions · 5.9%

$165,430

Washington82 contributions · 4.6%

$128,913

Colorado47 contributions · 3.2%

$88,500

District of Columbia62 contributions · 2.9%

$81,750

Maryland40 contributions · 1.9%

$52,796

Donors’ employers
Employer as filed		Amount
Not employedWritten instead of an employer · 1,481 contributions · 51% of ranked		$1,327,043
Self-employedWritten instead of an employer · 211 contributions · 12% of ranked		$317,112
Consumer Direct Care Network Montana5 contributions · 0.8% of ranked		$21,000
Stanford University11 contributions · 0.8% of ranked		$19,600
University Of California9 contributions · 0.6% of ranked		$15,400
Greylock4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked		$14,000
Hoyt And Blewett PLLC4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked		$14,000
Jane Street Capital4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked		$14,000

Donors’ employers

Employer as filed

Amount

Not employedWritten instead of an employer · 1,481 contributions · 51% of ranked

$1,327,043

Self-employedWritten instead of an employer · 211 contributions · 12% of ranked

$317,112

Consumer Direct Care Network Montana5 contributions · 0.8% of ranked

$21,000

Stanford University11 contributions · 0.8% of ranked

$19,600

University Of California9 contributions · 0.6% of ranked

$15,400

Greylock4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked

$14,000

Hoyt And Blewett PLLC4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked

$14,000

Jane Street Capital4 contributions · 0.5% of ranked

$14,000

Name		Amount
Ascend Digital Strategies7 payments · 15% of all spending		$667,693
Groundswell Contact4 payments · 6.4% of all spending		$278,180
Gusto19 payments · 4.5% of all spending		$195,851
Upcard2 payments · 4.3% of all spending		$188,202
Skdknickerbocker LLC1 payment · 3.5% of all spending		$151,579
Ballot Access Marketing, LLC1 payment · 2.9% of all spending		$125,000
Bryson Gillette1 payment · 2% of all spending		$84,602
Nielsen Merksamer LLP3 payments · 1.8% of all spending		$78,862

Occupation as filed		Amount
Not employedWritten instead of an occupation · 1,274 contributions · 38% of ranked		$1,027,323
RetiredWritten instead of an occupation · 207 contributions · 11% of ranked		$299,720
Attorney128 contributions · 6.7% of ranked		$184,596
CEO52 contributions · 3.8% of ranked		$103,000
Investor24 contributions · 2.5% of ranked		$68,000
Executive25 contributions · 1.8% of ranked		$49,751
Chairman18 contributions · 1.7% of ranked		$47,500
Business Owner29 contributions · 1.7% of ranked		$45,271

Seth Bodnar

SummaryAt a glance

Their wordsWhat does Bodnar say they will do?

1Priority 1: END THE COSTLY AND UNAUTHORIZED WAR IN IRAN 2 statements

2Priority 2: STOP RECKLESS TARIFFS DRIVING UP PRICES 2 statements

3Priority 3: LOWER HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS AND DRUG COSTS 1 statement

4Priority 4: FIGHT DATA CENTERS AND STAND UP TO BIG TECH 1 statement

5Priority 5: SECURE OUR BORDER AND ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS 1 statement

6Priority 6: PROTECT THE SECOND AMENDMENT 3 statements

7Priority 7: DEFEND REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM 1 statement

8Priority 8: SUPPORT MONTANA FARMERS AND RANCHERS 2 statements

9Priority 9: DEFEND MONTANA'S PUBLIC LANDS 2 statements

10Priority 10: PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT 2 statements

11Priority 11: PROTECT INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES FROM GOVERNMENT OVERREACH 2 statements

12Priority 12: INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS 2 statements

MoneyWho pays for the campaign, and where does it go?

Raised, spent and cash over time by FEC report

Where the money came from $4,918,341 reported receipts

Largest donors

EndorsementsWho does Bodnar’s campaign say backs them?

Parties 2

Officials 17

Unions 5

Organizations 10

People 5

BallotWhen is Bodnar on the ballot?

PollsWhat do public polls of the MT Senate race show?

AboutWhere does this page come from?

Earlier cycles

Federal records

Campaign pages read 2 pages

Committees that gave

Where the donors live $2,805,999 placed by state

Home state and away

Top states

Donors’ employers as filed

Outside spending $11,657,360 across this race

What the payments were for $2,595,455 itemized

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Largest vendors

Donors’ occupations as filed