United States / Montana / Senate Election
2026 United States Senate election in Montana
Montana polling average: Alme (R) 38.4% — Bodnar (I) 30.3% — Alme (R) +8.1Also: Bankhead (D) 16.9% · Austin (L) 2.4%Pollytic average to 23 Oct 2026: recent, larger polls weigh more; no institute counts more than once.
Election date
Held on
Results
100% reporting ·
| Candidate | Votes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt AlmeWinnerRepublican Party | 232,916 | 48.3% | |
| Seth BodnarIndependent | 181,674 | 37.7% | |
| Alani BankheadDemocratic Party | 58,555 | 12.2% | |
| Kyle AustinLibertarian Party | 8,869 | 1.8% |
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone | Alme | +18.5 | 62,980 |
| Missoula | Bodnar | +32.1 | 60,382 |
| Gallatin | Bodnar | +12.0 | 55,928 |
| Flathead | Alme | +28.0 | 51,794 |
| Lewis And Clark | Bodnar | +7.5 | 34,375 |
| Cascade | Alme | +12.0 | 29,507 |
| Ravalli | Alme | +29.3 | 23,918 |
| Silver Bow | Bodnar | +16.6 | 14,817 |
| Lake | Alme | +16.5 | 13,789 |
| Lincoln | Alme | +52.7 | 9,864 |
All 56 counties
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park | Bodnar | +2.2 | 9,424 |
| Jefferson | Alme | +24.4 | 6,799 |
| Sanders | Alme | +48.8 | 6,553 |
| Carbon | Alme | +21.0 | 6,095 |
| Fergus | Alme | +37.1 | 5,403 |
| Madison | Alme | +33.8 | 5,232 |
| Hill | Alme | +12.9 | 5,032 |
| Stillwater | Alme | +46.9 | 4,537 |
| Beaverhead | Alme | +33.9 | 4,506 |
| Custer | Alme | +39.4 | 4,295 |
| Deer Lodge | Bodnar | +9.1 | 3,953 |
| Glacier | Bodnar | +12.1 | 3,925 |
| Broadwater | Alme | +44.1 | 3,736 |
| Richland | Alme | +57.3 | 3,611 |
| Big Horn | Alme | +5.3 | 3,487 |
| Dawson | Alme | +47.7 | 3,344 |
| Valley | Alme | +35.2 | 3,102 |
| Teton | Alme | +35.6 | 2,851 |
| Rosebud | Alme | +33.7 | 2,756 |
| Powell | Alme | +42.1 | 2,616 |
| Roosevelt | Alme | +16.2 | 2,551 |
| Musselshell | Alme | +58.8 | 2,415 |
| Mineral | Alme | +35.0 | 2,395 |
| Chouteau | Alme | +25.1 | 2,277 |
| Pondera | Alme | +34.3 | 2,223 |
| Blaine | Alme | +14.5 | 2,167 |
| Sweet Grass | Alme | +35.9 | 1,917 |
| Granite | Alme | +29.3 | 1,824 |
| Phillips | Alme | +54.5 | 1,683 |
| Toole | Alme | +48.9 | 1,585 |
| Sheridan | Alme | +36.1 | 1,542 |
| Fallon | Alme | +65.1 | 1,179 |
| Judith Basin | Alme | +39.0 | 1,163 |
| Meagher | Alme | +42.0 | 930 |
| Powder River | Alme | +58.3 | 882 |
| Wheatland | Alme | +45.4 | 857 |
| McCone | Alme | +62.3 | 853 |
| Daniels | Alme | +56.0 | 807 |
| Liberty | Alme | +37.6 | 773 |
| Carter | Alme | +69.4 | 693 |
| Garfield | Alme | +74.3 | 653 |
| Prairie | Alme | +49.1 | 582 |
| Wibaux | Alme | +63.6 | 453 |
| Golden Valley | Alme | +62.1 | 388 |
| Treasure | Alme | +64.3 | 361 |
| Petroleum | Alme | +65.2 | 250 |
How the count progressed
Updated
Polls vs result
The last polling average before the vote () against the actual result.
- Mean absolute error
- 5.8 pts
- Error on the winner’s margin
- −1.0 pts
| Candidate | Average | Result | Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alme (R) | 38.4% | 47.7% | −9.3 |
| Bodnar (I) | 30.3% | 38.6% | −8.3 |
| Bankhead (D) | 16.9% | 11.9% | +5.0 |
| Austin (L) | 2.4% | 1.8% | +0.6 |
Error = average − result, in percentage points. A dash means the party or candidate was missing from the average or the result; it is left out of both errors.
Polling trend
The average of recent polls. Newer polls and more accurate pollsters count more. How it’s calculated
Latest polls
Each poll as published, with its pollster, fieldwork dates, sample size and a link to the source.
How to read a poll
- Sample size is how many people were asked. More people means less random error, never none.
- ±3 is the margin of error: the real figure is likely within 3 points either way of the one shown.
- Two polls can differ because they were taken on different dates, with different methods and different samples.
- est. means the institute did not publish a margin of error, so it is estimated from the sample size.
- The average smooths this out: it combines recent polls, so one unusual poll cannot swing the picture.
What the polls say
Alme (R) leads the polling average in Montana on 38.4%, 8.1 points ahead of Bodnar (I) (30.3%). The biggest shift over the past month is Alme (R), down 3.9 points.
6 polls from 5 institutes were published in the last 30 days of polling. The most recent is from Concord Public Opinion Partners (D), published 23 Oct 2026. The average gives recent and larger polls more weight and counts no institute more than once; read how it works.
Candidates
Who is standing, in order of the polling average, then the result.
- Kurt AlmeRepublican
- Seth Bodnar
- Alani BankheadDemocratic
- Kyle AustinLibertarian
Forecast
All 2026 racesHow likely each side is to win, according to the main forecasters.
Safe RForecast
Chance of winning: Kurt Alme (R) 92%, Seth Bodnar (I) 7%, Alani Bankhead (D) 1%
- Cook Political ReportSafe R
- Sabato's Crystal BallSafe R
- Inside ElectionsSafe R
- Split TicketSafe R
How the forecast has moved
Model
Chance of winning by party, one point per daily snapshot.
Show all 8 forecasters
FiftyPlusOne
ElectIndex
CM Election Predictions
America First Insight
OpenSourceZone
Kalshi
Polymarket
PredictIt
Rating changes
- Polymarket:Safe RLikely R3 Nov
- VoteHub:Safe RLikely R3 Nov
- Polymarket:Likely RSafe R28 Oct
- PredictIt:Safe RLikely R20 Oct
- Kalshi:Safe RLikely R4 Oct
Government
Who governs Montana now.
Greg Gianforte
Governor of Montana