Steve Daines

Kurt Alme won Montana's GOP Senate primary Tuesday after receiving endorsements from President Donald Trump and Sen. Steve Daines, who left the seat open when he declined at the last minute to seek reelection.

Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Alme, a former U.S. attorney for Montana. With about 30% of the vote counted, Alme led his two challengers with 77.3%.

In March, Daines declined to seek a third term, making the surprise announcement just minutes before the filing deadline. He then endorsed Alme, who had filed to run about five minutes earlier. Trump endorsed Alme the same day.

Five Democrats were competing for the chance to face Alme in November's general election. However, The New York Times reported that at least some Democrats are unlikely to rally around the primary winner. Much of the party's leadership is backing an independent bid by Seth Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana.

Big Sky Country has trended toward Republicans over the past decade, with Trump carrying the state in all three of his presidential campaigns. In 2024, he received a career-high 58.4% of the vote in Montana. Also in 2024, Republican Tim Sheehy ousted two-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, and Daines won reelection in 2020 with 55% of the vote.

No Democrat has carried Montana in a presidential election since Bill Clinton in 1992.