The 2026 election is just about a year away. The races for Montana’s U.S. Senate and House seats are taking shape.
Three Montana Democrats join the race to challenge Sen. Daines
Senior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Bozeman, is running for reelection. He’s held the seat since 2015. He was a U.S. representative for one term before running for Senate and previously worked for Procter & Gamble and RightNow Technologies.
Daines has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, who endorsed his campaign last spring.
Three Democrats, so far, are running for their party’s nomination to challenge Daines.
Reilly Neill of Livingston threw her hat in the ring shortly after the 2024 election. She ran a write-in campaign for the eastern congressional district, losing to GOP Congressman Troy Downing. Neill served one term in the Montana Legislature from 2013 to 2015. She previously published a weekly newspaper and later a monthly statewide magazine.
Michael Black Wolf of Hays has also joined the race. Black Wolf has not held public office before. He works as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Fort Belknap Indian Community and recently served on the Tribal Stakeholders Group for the Montana Historical Society.
Michael Hummert of Helena unsuccessfully challenged former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in the Democratic primary last election. Hummert is a military veteran and owned a home remodeling company before retiring. He’s filed paperwork to run again in 2026.
The term for a U.S. Senate seat lasts six years.
U.S. House races feature veterans, ranchers and political newcomers
Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke of Whitefish is running for reelection to Montana’s western district.
Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015 after a stint in the Montana Senate. He’s a former U.S. secretary of the interior, appointed by President Donald Trump. He ran for Congress again in 2022.
Democrats Matt Rains and Russell Cleveland are vying to challenge Zinke. Cleveland is a Navy veteran who lives on a ranch near St. Regis. He previously ran a child care business with his wife in Colorado before returning to his home state.
Rains is an Army veteran and rancher outside Simms. He previously worked as a photojournalist, engineer and chief of staff for the Montana Farmers Union. Rains lives just outside of the western district, but candidates are only required to live in Montana to run for a U.S. House seat.
The western congressional race is expected to be more competitive for Democrats than the eastern district, which is consistently ranked as solidly Republican.
GOP Congressman Troy Downing is the incumbent in that race. He’s an Air Force veteran and was previously the state auditor for Montana. He previously worked in the tech, insurance and commercial real estate industries.
Two Democrats are campaigning for the seat. Brian Miller is a civil trial attorney in Helena with a background working on campaigns. He describes himself as an independent-minded Montanan on his campaign website.
Candidate Sam Lux owns a farrier business in Great Falls. He has not held public office before and describes himself as a working-class Montana.
Trump has endorsed both Zinke and Downing in their races.
