‘Bullsh*t’: Retiring Republican Accused Of Pulling Same Dirty Election Trick Democrat Got Punished For
After Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines decided to end his reelection bid Wednesday night, observers noticed similarities between him and a Democratic lawmaker who made a similar decision months ago.
As Montana’s nomination deadline approached at 5 p.m. MST on Wednesday, Daines — who was seeking a third term — suddenly withdrew his candidacy, later announcing in a video statement that his decision came after “careful consideration.” The incumbent senator quickly threw his support behind Republican Kurt Alme, a U.S. attorney in the Trump administration who entered the race just eight minutes before the filing deadline, according to multiple reports. (RELATED: Republican Senator Steve Daines drops his candidacy at the last possible minute)
Daines’ decision to abandon a race at the eleventh hour and support an entirely new candidate, without giving other potential candidates a chance to run for the seat, appears similar to the nature of Illinois Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia’s retirement announcement in November 2025. Garcia announced his retirement on the day of the Illinois filing deadline and endorsed his chief of staff, Patty Garcia — no relation to him — who had entered the race the same day and, after the lawmaker’s exit, was running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
“This is bullshit. A senator from Montana is rigging an election and it is far beneath the dignity of our democracy,” Washington Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate who represents a seat won by Trump in 2024, wrote on X.
This is bullshit. A Montana senator is rigging an election and it is beneath the dignity of our democracy https://t.co/wSw32MsAm5
– Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (@RepMGP) March 5, 2026
Gluesenkamp Perez made headlines when she called Garcia’s maneuvers “election denial” and said his decision to “appoint an heir is fundamentally undemocratic.” She also introduced a symbolic resolution of disavowal against him, which passed the House with the support of 23 Democrats, despite most party members strongly opposing the measure.
Matthew Klein, an analyst on the US House of Representatives and governors for the non-partisan Cook Political Report, wrote on X, following the Montana senator’s announcement: “Will be very interested to see how much GOP opposition there is to Doines‘bait and switch after Chuy Garcia was criticized for carrying out the same maneuver in November.
“Sure, it looks like Steve Doines made a Chuy Garcia—a similar decision, abandoning his re-election campaign minutes before the filing deadline closed, only for another candidate to essentially be awarded the nomination while having clear knowledge of the outgoing president’s plans,” New York Sun Washington correspondent Matt Rice wrote in an X article on Wednesday.
Daines’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social article later Wednesday evening that Alme had his “complete and utter endorsement” which, he added, was “based on Steve’s strongest recommendation.” The president added in his message that the outgoing senator had decided to “pass the torch”, a phrase he put in quotation marks, to Alme.
Kurt ALME, U.S. attorney from Montana, ran as a Republican for #MTSEN just 8 minutes before the deadline closes
And Daines withdrew
👀👀👀 https://t.co/mnWTO935HA
– Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) March 5, 2026
Later Wednesday night, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) – a position he took over directly from Daines – announced on X that the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm “looks forward…to welcoming Kurt.” [Alme] like the state [Montana’s] next US senator.
Alme wasn’t the only candidate to enter the race Wednesday, as former University of Montana president and Army Green Beret Seth Bodnar also entered the race as an independent, announcing just hours before Daines withdrew.
“Steve Daines has so little respect for Montana Republicans that he withdrew at the last minute to crown his hand-picked successor instead of giving them a voice at the ballot box,” Bodnar, who has the support of former Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, wrote in an article Wednesday night on X.
Steve Daines has so little respect for Montana Republicans that he pulled out at the last minute to crown his hand-picked successor instead of giving them a voice at the ballot box.
This is the disgusting arrogance of Washington politicians and their power-trading party leaders… https://t.co/8YLkCGF238
– Seth Bodnar (@SethBodnar) March 5, 2026
“It’s the disgusting arrogance of Washington politicians and their party leaders who trade power like candy while Montanans are crushed by higher costs and fewer opportunities,” the independent candidate added.
The race’s leading Democratic candidate, former Montana state Rep. Reilly Neill, said in a video posted to X on Wednesday that “Daines dropping out of the race is another example of the Montana GOP being in complete disarray.” Neill reiterated in the video that she was running for office as a “proud Democrat” — despite Tester, the last statewide Democratic officeholder, supporting Bodnar.
Alme still has to win the June 2 Republican primary against several longtime Republican contenders, including perennial candidate Charles WalkingChild.
Daines and Garcia represent areas considered safe for their respective parties, so the primary elections are considered the real election. Trump won Montana by 20 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, while former Vice President Kamala Harris won Garcia’s seat in the Chicago-based House by 28 points.
Daines’ retirement brings the number of open Senate races in the 2026 cycle to ten, the most since 2012.
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