Senate Race
Open Seat
Daines withdrew Mar 4, 2026
MT-01 Rating
Competitive
DCCC "In Play" · Open seat
MT-02 Rating
Safe Rep.
Downing · R+15 PVI
Days to Primary
—
June 2, 2026
Montana Congressional Districts
MT-01 — OPEN SEAT · R+5 · Kalispell, Missoula, Butte, Bozeman
MT-02 — Troy Downing (R) · R+15 · Helena ★, Great Falls, Billings
Actual district boundary (118th Congress)
Click a district to view its candidates. City positions match 118th Congress district geography. ★ = State capital Helena (MT-02 per actual district lines).
U.S. Senate — Montana 2026
Class II · Open Seat
Filing deadline developments (Mar 4, 2026): Sen. Daines withdrew 2 min before deadline, endorsing Kurt Alme. Former UM President Seth Bodnar simultaneously entered as an independent backed by Jon Tester. Inside Elections moved the race from Solid R to Likely R.
Republican Primary — June 2, 2026
Trump · Daines · Gianforte · Sheehy Endorsed
Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
Recent News
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Independent — General Election (needs 13,327 signatures by May 26)
West Point · Green Beret · Rhodes Scholar · Endorsed: Jon Tester (D)
Needs 13,327 voter signatures by May 26, 2026 to appear on general ballot.
Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
Recent News
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Democratic Primary — June 2, 2026
Libertarian Primary — June 2, 2026
Key Dates
Filing DeadlineMar 4, 2026 ✓
Ind. Signatures DueMay 26, 2026
Primary ElectionJun 2, 2026
General ElectionNov 3, 2026
Days to Primary—
Days to General—
Current MT Delegation
● Daines (R)Retiring
● Sheehy (R)Won 2024
● Zinke (R)Retiring, MT-01
● Downing (R)Incumbent, MT-02
U.S. House — Montana 2026
District:
MT-01 — OPEN SEAT: Rep. Ryan Zinke (R) retired March 2, 2026. Covers western MT: Kalispell, Missoula, Butte, Bozeman (18 counties). Cook PVI: R+5. DCCC designated "In Play."
Republican Primary — MT-01 — June 2, 2026
Zinke · Sheehy · Downing · Gianforte Endorsed
Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
Recent News
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Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
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Raised
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Cash on Hand
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Raised
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Cash on Hand
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Democratic Primary — MT-01 — June 2, 2026
Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
Recent News
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Raised
Not yet reported
Cash on Hand
Not yet reported
Recent News
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Raised
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Cash on Hand
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Polling Overview
ⓘ DEMO VERSION — Polling data reflects the state of public polls through April 2026. This data is static and will not refresh automatically. Very limited public polling exists for Montana’s 2026 races at this stage of the cycle.
Limited public polling available as of March 2026. Senate race dynamics shifted dramatically with Daines withdrawal and Bodnar independent entry. Showing all known public polls in chronological order.
U.S. Senate Race
Pre-Withdrawal Forecaster Consensus
Cook · Crystal Ball · Inside Elections
Jan–Feb 2026
Daines (R)
~68% proj.
Dem nominee
~32% range
⚠ Daines withdrew March 4, 2026. Race substantially more open. Forecasts under revision. Bodnar independent run adds significant uncertainty.
Bodnar Independent Pre-Announcement Testing
Campaign sources · Montana Right Now
Early 2026
Daines (R)
Commanding lead
Bodnar (I)
~2% gap vs. Dem
~2pt difference between Bodnar as Independent vs. Democrat. Daines had commanding lead. Note: Daines has since withdrawn.
MT-01 House District
Busse vs. Zinke — Internal Democratic Poll
Democratic-aligned firm · MT-01 Western
December 2025
Ryan Busse (D)
+4 pts
Ryan Zinke (R)
-4 pts
⚠ Commissioned by Democratic firm. Zinke has since retired. Republican field entirely changed: Flint, Jacobsen, Olszewski, Regier now running. New polls expected before June 2 primary.
📊 More polls expected. With half of MT's congressional delegation retiring in one week, national polling firms are ramping up coverage. Click Refresh Polling above to pull the latest data.
2026 Proposed Ballot Issues
MT Secretary of State ↗Citizen initiatives need 5% of qualified voters (statute) or 10% (constitutional amendment) statewide. Qualifying issues must still gather sufficient verified signatures.
✓ Approved for Signature Gathering
CI-129 · Ballot Issue #1
Primary Residence Property Tax Cap — 2% Annual Limit
Goal: Protect Montana homeowners from rapidly rising property tax assessments by capping annual valuation increases at 2% for primary residences. Aims to provide tax predictability for owner-occupants.
Constitutional amendment limiting primary residence valuation increases to 2%/year. Resets to fair market value on ownership transfer or improvement. Owner must occupy ≥7 months/year.
✓ Approved for signatures: Jan 17, 2025 · Matthew Monforton
CI-130 · Ballot Issue #2
All Real Property Tax Cap — 2% Annual Limit
Goal: Extend the 2% property tax cap to ALL real property in Montana (commercial, agricultural, industrial, timber). Seeks to reduce tax burden on businesses, farms, and ranches.
Same 2% cap applied to all real property classes. Cap resets on ownership transfer or improvements. No assessment may exceed fair market value.
✓ Approved for signatures: Jun 17, 2025 · Matthew Monforton
CI-131 · Ballot Issue #3
Nonpartisan Judicial Elections — Mandate
Goal: Ensure Montana courts remain free from partisan influence by prohibiting party labels on judicial ballots. Responds to legislative efforts to add partisan labels to judicial races.
Constitutional initiative requiring MT Supreme Court and district court elections to be nonpartisan. Prohibits any party labels on judicial ballots.
✓ Approved for signatures: Sep 26, 2025 · Ted Dick
CI-132 · Ballot Issue #5
Nonpartisan Judicial Elections — Constitutional Requirement
Goal: Companion to CI-131 — constitutionally entrench nonpartisan judicial elections, making it harder for future legislatures to introduce partisan judicial races.
Amends MT Constitution to expressly require nonpartisan judicial elections.
✓ Approved for signatures: Oct 9, 2025 · Monica Paoli & Megan Simpson
CI-133 · Ballot Issue #8
Protect Initiative & Referendum Rights
Goal: Strengthen Montanans' right of direct democracy by preventing the government from using procedural obstacles to block citizen ballot initiatives.
Requires impartial, open, predictable processes for petitions and signature verification. Prohibits rejection for minor/technical issues. Allows signature withdrawal.
✓ Approved for signatures: Mar 5, 2026 · Claudia Clifford & Theresa Kendrick
I-194 · Ballot Issue #10
Limit Corporate & Organizational Political Spending
Goal: Get corporate money out of Montana elections by prohibiting corporations, nonprofits, PACs, etc. from contributing to candidate campaigns, parties, or ballot issues.
Violations forfeit Montana business privileges. Exempts news/editorial, government, individuals, political committees.
✓ Approved for signatures: Mar 10, 2026 · Jeff Mangan
Submitted — Pending Review
Ballot Issue #7
Dog Breeder Standards & Animal Welfare
Goal: Create enforceable standards protecting dogs from neglect and unsafe breeding conditions.
⌛ Forwarded to LSD: Sep 16, 2025 · Alana Vosen
Ballot Issue #11
2% Property Tax Cap — All Property (Local Gov't)
Goal: Broadest property tax cap proposed — limits all local gov't tax increases to 2%/yr across all property classes. Just submitted March 23, 2026.
⌛ Forwarded to LSD: Mar 23, 2026 · Wylie Galt
✗ Rejected — Legally Insufficient
Ballot Issue #4
Corporate Political Spending Ban (Constitutional)
✗ Found legally insufficient by AG: Oct 24, 2025 · Matthew T. Cochenour
Ballot Issue #6
Nonpartisan Judicial Elections + New Court Restriction
✗ Found legally insufficient by AG: Oct 9, 2025 · Monica Paoli & Megan Simpson
Ballot Issue #9
Corporate Political Spending Limits (Constitutional)
✗ Found legally insufficient by AG: Mar 6, 2026 · Jeff Mangan
Campaign News
Snapshot: Mar–Apr 2026
ⓘ DEMO VERSION — This is a static snapshot of Montana 2026 election coverage from March 4 – April 5, 2026. There is no live news refresh in this demo — articles will not update automatically.
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