Seth Bodnar

Independent

United States Senator · Missoula County, Montana · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Kurt Alme (Republican), Kyle Austin (Libertarian), Alani Bankhead (Democrat)

Seth Bodnar, an independent from Missoula, is a former Army Green Beret and GE executive who was University of Montana president from 2018 until resigning in January 2026. He does not hold the seat, which is open. He runs without a party, pledging to defend Medicaid expansion, criticizing tariff policy and the Iran war, and saying government has no place in personal decisions.

What this office decides

A U.S. Senator writes and votes on federal law, taxes, and spending, and confirms federal judges and executive appointees. For Montana the seat also shapes federal policy on public lands, energy, agriculture, health coverage, and immigration. One of two senators representing all of Montana, for a six-year term.

How this race lines up with you

Loading your answers…

Dossier

Researched 2026-09-23 · Claude Code research agent with web search

Donald Trump: opposed. Trump endorsed Bodnar's Republican opponent Kurt Alme on March 4, 2026; no Trump statement about Bodnar himself was found, and Trump's July 24 post framed the race as Alme versus Bankhead. source

VoteVets (for) source
End Citizens United (for) source
Former Sen. Jon Tester (for) source
Former Sen. Max Baucus (for) source
Former Sen. Joe Manchin (for) source
Former Gov. Marc Racicot (for) source
Montana Freedom PAC (super PAC spending) (for) source

Who they are

Seth Bodnar of Missoula (MT SOS), a West Point graduate, Rhodes Scholar, former Army Green Beret and GE executive, was University of Montana president from 2018 until his January 2026 resignation (Wikipedia). He launched his independent campaign March 4, 2026 (Daily Montanan). Not the incumbent: the seat is open (FEC).

Positions

Taxes & spending: Says "the national debt continues to skyrocket" and "tariffs are taxes" crushing producers (Daily Montanan); calls D.C. spending "an absolute moral failure" (The Pulp).
Health care: Would "defend Medicaid Expansion and oppose reckless cuts" (MTFP questionnaire); at a debate backed restoring ACA subsidies and reversing Medicaid work requirements (Daily Montanan).
Immigration: Would "enforce our borders" (KTVQ) "without allowing a masked, untrained, unaccountable paramilitary force" (Daily Montanan); backs a clear path to citizenship, The Pulp reported (The Pulp).
Energy & environment: Spoke of safeguarding public lands and "revitalizing our wood products industry," per The Pulp.
Foreign policy: On declaring war, "Congress needs to do its job" (MTFP questionnaire); on Iran, asks "what is our endgame?" (KTVQ).
Personal freedom: "Government has no place in our bedrooms... our gun cabinets... our doctor's offices" (The Pulp); described as pro-choice by the Flathead Beacon.

Record

Army service 2003–2022, including Iraq deployments (Wikipedia).

Money

FEC, March 4–June 30, 2026: $3.24M raised, $2.26M spent, $978K cash; $3.14M from individuals and $93,050 from PACs (FEC), including $5,000 checks from No Labels PAC and Max's PAC (FEC Schedule A). Super PAC Montana Freedom PAC ran ads backing him and attacking rivals (Flathead Beacon).

What we couldn't find

Tax or energy specifics; abortion policy in his words; caucus choice; post-June FEC totals.

Sources (18)