Montana Democratic Party chair Shannon O’Brien has stepped down from the position and endorsed independent candidate Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate this November, choosing him over the party’s own nominee in the race.
O’Brien announced her resignation Monday in a statement published by MS NOW, saying she was stepping down effective immediately. Calling herself a lifelong Montana Democrat, she said the state party has become increasingly divided over the Senate race and that supporting Bodnar now represents the clearest path toward advancing Democratic values in the state.
“And that is why today, I am resigning as party chair, effective immediately, and joining stalwarts like Carol and Denise Juneau, Steve Bullock, Nancy Keenan, Jon Tester, Max Baucus, Carol and Whitney Williams, and many others to endorse independent Seth Bodnar for the U.S. Senate,” O’Brien wrote.
O’Brien was first elected chair of the Montana Democratic Party in 2025. According to her author bio, she is also a former legislator who was Democratic Whip of the Montana State Senate from 2022 to 2024. She has also been a candidate, most recently running as the Democratic nominee for superintendent of public instruction in 2024.
“The future of our state and our country is at stake,” O’Brien continued. “I hope all Democrats across Montana will join me in choosing the best person this year, even if he’s not from the party they were expecting.”
O’Brien also criticized Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead, questioning her positions on several issues, including abortion rights, working people, and poverty, and arguing that she lacks the resources and ability necessary to win the election. She similarly took aim at Republicans, accusing them of spending money to support Bankhead in an effort to divide opposition to Republican nominee Kurt Alme and asking Democrats to consider why Republicans have taken an interest in keeping her campaign viable.
Polling of the U.S. Senate race in Montana since the summer shows Alme consistently leading the field, though never with an outright majority in four-candidate polling. Earlier surveys at times placed Bankhead ahead of Bodnar, but more recent polling has generally shown Bodnar in second place. Throughout these polls, Libertarian Kyle Austin has also earned anywhere between 2 and 6 percent.
Bankhead has since pushed back on O’Brien’s claims, arguing in a statement of her own that the former chair had been working against her candidacy for months. Bankhead also accused O’Brien of previously seeking a legal opinion on whether the party could decline to replace her on the ballot if she withdrew.
Bodnar, a former Green Beret and former president of the University of Montana, entered the race as an independent earlier this year and has since attracted support from several prominent Montana Democrats. In addition to O’Brien, Bodnar has also picked up the endorsement of former Gov. Steve Bullock and former U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus, along with former state Superintendent Denise Juneau and former state lawmaker Carol Juneau.
“I’m deeply grateful to Shannon for her courage, and for her lifetime of service to Montana,” Bodnar said in a campaign statement responding to the endorsement. “Montanans of every political stripe are coming together in this race because they know what’s at stake, and they’re ready to send an Independent senator to Washington who answers only to them.”
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