Four Candidates Square Off in Montana U.S. Senate Debate in Bozeman as Absentee Ballots Go Out
(BOZEMAN, Mont.) — Montana's U.S. Senate race held its first televised debate on Sunday (Oct. 11): Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, independent Seth Bodnar and Libertarian Kyle Austin met at the Field and Stream Lodge in Bozeman, clashing over the housing crisis, health care, the economy and the war in Iran. According to MontanaRightNow, the debate was hosted by the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation, moderated by Cameron Maxwell, president and CEO of Desert Mountain Broadcasting, with a panel of Montana journalists from four broadcast companies, including Nonstop Local's Ben Wineman, asking the questions.
The race is for an open U.S. Senate seat, with the winner to be decided in the Nov. 3 general election. The debate came as absentee ballots were heading to voters, marking the start of the campaign's decisive stretch.
Housing drew the broadest agreement of the night. All four candidates acknowledged Montana faces a housing crisis but differed sharply on solutions. "This is an absolute crisis, I hear about it everywhere I go," Bodnar said, calling for federal action to incentivize housing supply expansion and zoning and code reform. Alme pointed to federal spending and construction costs, arguing for reining in spending, lower construction costs and lower mortgage rates "so hard-working Montanan families can keep more of their paycheck in their pocket to pay the rent," alongside cutting regulations to build more houses. Bankhead called for giving construction companies a deeper role in regulation and lawmaking.
The exchanges sharpened mid-debate when Bodnar, the independent, challenged Alme over the Iran war, presidential loyalty and the role of Congress in decisions about military action. Bodnar argued that when the country goes to war, senators have a responsibility to demand a clear justification and strategy rather than simply follow their party's leadership.
Alme played his fiscal record. "Other candidates say they'll rein in Washington spending. I balanced a budget, and I'm ready to go to Washington and do it again," he said. Alme is a former federal prosecutor and past budget director for the Gianforte Administration.
The four candidates are scheduled to debate again in Missoula on Oct. 19. Separately, President Donald Trump is set to visit Kalispell on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to campaign for Republican Aaron Flint in Montana's Western Congressional District race.
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Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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