Republican Kurt Alme wins election to U.S. Senate from Montana

Republican Kurt Alme won election Wednesday to the U.S. Senate representing Montana, defeating independent Seth Bodnar and Democrat Alani Bankhead. Alme will replace Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who made a surprise announcement in March, just ahead of the state’s filing deadline, that he would not run for a third term. Both Daines and President Donald Trump quickly endorsed Alme, with Trump saying that the U.S. attorney has “the highest level of aptitude and talent.” Alme’s win comes after a three-way contest with Bodnar, a former University of Montana president, and Bankhead, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who refused to drop out as Bodnar hoped to clear the field against Alme. The Associated Press declared Alme the winner at 2:54 a.m. EST.