The Midterm Elections are defined as an election that takes place halfway between the four-year presidential term. These elections happen across all states and are for offices other than the President or Vice President. In Midterm elections, the composition of Congress is decided. In the House of Representatives, all 435 seats face election, and whichever party controls the government will decide what the President can achieve.
Montana has a history of being a “purple state,” meaning they elected Democrats and Republicans together for a long time. In 2014, this shifted to being controlled completely by the Republican Party. This started because a long-held Democratic Senate seat was won by Republicans and it became official in 2024 when Tim Sheehy defeated John Tester.
Steve Daines, a Republican senator, announced that he would not seek a third term in the 2026 Midterm elections. He is the sixth republican to retire in these midterms. Ryan Zinkie also announced he would not be seeking a fifth term due to medical issues from military injuries. Currently, both seats are open which is very rare in Montana politics.
Kurt Alme, the U.S Attorney for Montana, filed for Dianes’ seat eight minutes before the deadline closed. Daines withdrew six minutes after that. Daines said he timed his withdrawal so that a “Prominent Democrat” wouldn’t have time to jump in. An independent candidate, Seth Bodnar, accused Daniels of choosing a successor letting Republican voters choose. Bodnar compared this to Montana’s copper king era in the late 1800s, when wealthy minors openly bought senate seats. That was part of why the U.S. moved to the direct election of senators.
Three political groups are spending millions to influence voters in this election race. They are trying to weaken the leading Democratic candidate Riley Neill, while helping another candidate Alina Bankhead. These political funds are wealthy, independent organizations. They can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to support or attack politicians through advertising, however, they are not allowed to coordinate directly with candidates’ official campaigns.
The “more jobs, less government” PAC group supports Republicans such as Daines and Sheehy. They are spending money to attack Riley Neill through bad advertising. This group has spent more money than ever in election history, spending 12,927,347 against democrats alone. 22 million has gone towards promoting Republican U.S Senate Tim Sheehy’s election. The money spent on demoting the Democrats in the primary have gone towards attacking Riley Neill. Outside, super PACs can easily bypass individual campaign contribution limits, allowing wealthy anonymous donors to dictate the narrative of a local campaign through advertisement.
PAC groups operate as nonprofit organizations, because of this, these organizations do not have to publicly reveal their money donors, which makes it easier for them to hide their tracks. Bypassing contribution limits is called dark money. Dark money targets Primaries because they are the first round of voting where a political party picks one single nominee.
Primaries require fewer votes, so advertising can sway a smaller pool of voters and alter the outcome of the vote. These ads often use intentionally vague group names such as “ Citizens for better tomorrow,” so voters can’t tell which corporation or industry is actually pulling the strings. All of these tactics are used to hide the overuse in funding for campaign contribution.
NPR reported that voters are very concerned about the cost of living, affordability and easy access to healthcare. These issues shape how citizens think about their current lives and the future ahead of the 2026 midterms. Finances and economic stability is a huge concern in most families’ lives.Having access to healthcare can pay their bills, stay in school or plan for the future. Voters want a candidate that will validate these concerns and look out for the people.
Montana’s political landscape is shifting towards competitiveness due to open seats. Republicans have shared frustration over “handpicked” candidates, and Democrats are currently in the lead by six points in the pull. Forecasters have still rated the house seat to be likely republican and the senate seat as republican leading. Both seats have moved from safe to competitive. In addition to this, Montana has never elected an independent to federal office.
Most current high school students will be voting by 2029. The politicians elected this November will shape policy on issues that students themselves are concerned about. Such as education funding, climate, public lands, and housing costs for the next two to six years. Montana’s Primary is on June second, 2026 which is early enough that older students and family are able to vote currently. Voting rights are part of what the U.S. was built on. Encouraging seniors to vote is important, and the younger generation will shape the future of our government policies.
