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Seth Bodnar

Independent candidate for United States Senator, Montana · Open seat

Former president of the University of Montana; retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel (Green Beret)

Seth Bodnar is a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer and former General Electric executive who served as president of the University of Montana from 2018 until January 2026. He resigned from the university and filed as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate on March 4, 2026, the last day of candidate filing, and needed about 13,000 voter signatures by May 26 to qualify for the general election ballot. He is on the November 3, 2026 ballot with Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin.

Where Bodnar stands

War powers: Says declaring war is Congress's constitutional responsibility and argues that partisanship has led members of Congress to cede too much power to the executive branch.
Rural health care: Supports telehealth expansion and workforce incentives for rural health care. Opposes cuts to critical access hospitals and says he will defend Montana's Medicaid expansion.
Healthcare: Says the recent party-line budget bill will remove more than 30,000 Montanans from health coverage and cost rural hospitals more than $5 billion. Opposes cuts that would remove coverage.
Cost of living and housing: Supports building more homes by cutting red tape, using tax incentives and fixing supply chains. Supports rules to stop private equity firms from buying large numbers of single-family homes.
Trade and tariffs: Says tariffs should be strategic tools to open markets and protect key industries. Opposes the trade dispute with Canada and pledges to reassert Congress's authority over tariffs.
Immigration: Supports strong borders, enforcement of immigration law and comprehensive immigration reform. Says enforcement must respect due process and opposes use of what he calls an unaccountable, masked force.
Data centers: Supports strict federal guardrails so data centers cannot be built in Montana communities without community involvement, and to protect water supplies and electricity rates.
Abortion: Describes himself as a strong supporter of reproductive freedom. Says a woman's health decisions should be between her, her doctor, her family and her faith.
Public lands: Says protecting public lands is a top priority and calls them common ground where everyone can hunt, fish and recreate.
Guns: Says government has "no business" in Montanans' gun cabinets.

Background

President, University of Montana (2018–2026)
U.S. Army, 2003–2022 (101st Airborne Division, 1st Special Forces Group, Montana Army National Guard); retired as lieutenant colonel
Executive, General Electric
B.S., U.S. Military Academy at West Point; Rhodes Scholar, Hertford College, Oxford (graduate degrees)

In the news

Seth Bodnar attracting Democratic and Republican voters as an independent candidate for US Senate Daily Montanan, October 21, 2026
Can Montanans be persuaded by Seth Bodnar's anti-partisan platform? Montana Free Press, October 19, 2026
U.S. Senate Race: Bodnar Pitches Independence as the Fix for a 'Broken' Washington Flathead Beacon, October 19, 2026
State Democratic Party Chair Resigns, Endorses Independent Bodnar for U.S. Senate Flathead Beacon (Montana Free Press), October 13, 2026
Seth Bodnar seeks to define independent identity in U.S. Senate campaign KPAX, October 6, 2026

Also running for United States Senator

Kurt Alme Republican
Kyle Austin Libertarian
Alani Bankhead Democratic

Sources

Last researched October 23, 2026. Written in neutral language from the sources above. Spot an error? See how to report it.