Montana senator pulls a fast one to boost preferred successor

For months, the senior U.S. senator from Montana had pondered his political future.

Or so he said.

Steve Daines, who wrapped up his second term and is on pace for a third, unexpectedly opted out of re-election this month, saying in a wretched video that he plans to spend more time at home in Montana and enjoy more precious moments with his seven grandchildren.

Notably, after “wrestling with this decision for a long time,” Daines announced his intention just two minutes after the deadline for candidates to place their names on the ballot expired. To be exact, March 4th at 17:02 local time.

More importantly, Daines’ preferred successor is the Republican former U.S. Attorney. Kurt Alme joined the race at 16.52 on the same day.

There are relay runners who could learn a thing or two from their timing and coordination.

As part of the seamless transition, Alme was quickly endorsed by President Trump, Montana’s Republican governor Greg Gianforte and fellow Republican senator Tim Sheehy, with the intention of settling the GOP contest and likely electing the state’s next member of the U.S. Senate.

Never mind what voters might want or what other would-be candidates might have in mind.

“There are a lot of Republicans in the state who have political ambitions and are extremely frustrated right now,” said Kal Munis, a Montana native and political science professor at Auburn University who follows politics in his state closely.

Moreover, Munis said, given enough advance notice, a strong Democrat could enter the contest rather than the underdog running desperate campaigns.

Montana, which has a rich Democratic history, has become a firmly Republican state, but this transformation has taken some time to complete.

As recently as 2008, Barack Obama achieved significant success, losing to John McCain by less than 3 percentage points. Montana had a Democratic governor until Gianforte was elected in 2020 and a Democratic U.S. senator until Jon Tester was defeated in 2024.

Still, while Daines’s seat does not appear to be at great risk to the GOP, the fight for the party’s nomination could be a costly distraction, diverting money and attention elsewhere as Republicans’ hopes for the midterm elections grow dimmer. (An unpopular war and a shaky economy brought to its knees by a spike in oil prices will do this.)

Daines, who leads the Republicans’ Senate campaign committee through the 2024 cycle, certainly appreciates the bigger political picture than anyone else. So he and his allies short-circuited the election process by seizing Alme, who resigned as U.S. attorney to join the Senate.

Seth Bodnar was among those who quite rightly criticized Daines for, as Bodnar put it, “so little respect for Montana Republicans that he backed out at the last minute to crown his hand-picked successor rather than giving them a say at the ballot box.”

According to Bodnar, this shows “the disgusting arrogance of Washington politicians and their party bosses who give and take power like candy.”

Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana, is running for the Senate as an independent and is noticeably staying away from the toxic Democratic brand. There’s speculation that pressure from Daines, Trump and other Republicans may be enough to give Bodnar’s hard-fought candidacy a good shot in November.

Munis is doubtful.

“There are many types of activists who are deeply outraged by this,” he said. “But when it comes to counting votes in elections, that’s just a drop in the bucket.”

Unfortunately, Daines’ scheming, voter-loyal approach is not unique to Montana Republicans.

Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia of Illinois announced in the fall that he would not seek a fifth term this year. The last-second move, which came after Garcia filed paperwork for re-election, made his chief of staff and preferred successor, Patty Garcia (no relation), the only major Democrat on the ballot, nearly ensuring his election in November.

The cynical maneuver so disgusted Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a maverick Democrat from rural Washington state, that she defied party leaders and introduced a resolution rebuking Garcia.

Gluesenkamp Perez, who was mocked and booed by her fellow Democrats for acting courageously, said her actions were “contrary to the dignity of her office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution.” – Putting principle above momentary partisanship. The measure was passed by the Parliament By 236 to 183, only 22 Democrats joined Gluesenkamp Perez in support.

In California, the law prevents incumbents from engaging in the kind of underhanded stunts Garcia and Daines orchestrated. This is because if an incumbent MP refuses to run for a new term, the application period is automatically extended by an additional five days.

For example, when Rep. Darrell Issa suddenly announced this month that he would not run for re-election, he supported his preferred replacement, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, but was unable to expedite the process for Desmond to replace him.

To prevent the antidemocratic shenanigans that are sterilizing voters in Montana and the Chicago area, lawmakers in other states should pass legislation similar to California’s.

That is, if they truly believe that elections are important and that voters should have a choice and not be powerless while government representatives are appointed from above.