Steve Daines will not seek re-election to the Montana Senate seat

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, will not seek re-election, opting to leave the Senate minutes before Wednesday’s deadline to file for the Treasure State, three sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The senior Montana senator is serving his second term and was expected to seek a third in the Big Sky Country, where President Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024. He previously served two terms in the House before making the jump to the upper chamber.

Daines played a key role during that election cycle as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, helping Republicans regain their majority in the upper chamber. He also supported Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, in a tight race against former Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, is helping the GOP secure federal control of Washington.

The attorney said in a video statement that after “careful consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election.”

He thanked his wife, Cindy, and noted that for the past 13 years, she has “selflessly put me at the airport at 5 a.m. on many Mondays for that trip back to DC.”

“And together, Cindy and I are looking forward to the next chapter, like spending time with our seven grandchildren, spending more time in Montana and continuing to make a difference,” he said.

With Daines set to leave the Senate, Republicans will now look to hold the seat. Montana’s primary election is scheduled for June 2.

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President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme filed the petition minutes before Daines withdrew from the race, according to the Montana Secretary of State. Earlier on Wednesday, former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar entered the race as an independent.

Trump wasted no time praising Daines and was quick to endorse Alme in a post on Truth Social.

“Steve Daines, from Montana, is one of our Greatest US Senators,” Trump said. “He has served honorably for 12 years in the Senate, and 2 in the House of Representatives. He has done a job like few can but, sadly for our Country, Steve’s Time is up, and he has decided to leave the Senate and, ‘pass the torch’ to Kurt Alme, my TRUMP 45 and TRUMP 47 US Attorney.”

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Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., arrives at a caucus meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill on May 10, 2023. (Drew Anger/Getty Images)

Three Democrats are also running on the other side of the primary field: Alani Bankhead, Reilly Neil and Michael Blackwolf.

A spokesman for the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement that “Republicans’ midterm prospects are so bleak in 2026 that another senator is still running for the hills.”

“Steve Daines joins many of his colleagues in deciding to throw in the towel rather than defend their toxic record,” they said. “This news is the latest bright warning sign to all members of the GOP: Your jobs are not safe, retire or lose them.”

Daines’ departure comes after Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, announced earlier this week that he plans to retire from the House.

Zinke talked about the many undisclosed surgeries he had as a result of injuries he suffered as a Navy SEAL.

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“My judgment and my experience tell me that it is better for Montana and America to have full representation in Congress than to risk an uncertain absence and missed votes,” Zinke said.

His open party has already attracted many Montana Republicans, including Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and conservative broadcaster Aaron Flint, who quickly earned the endorsement of Zinke and Trump.

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