Trump-backed Kurt Alme wins Montana GOP Senate primary

2026 ElectionTrump-backed Kurt Alme wins Montana GOP Senate primaryAlme won the nomination, NBC News projects, after a late launch following GOP Sen. Steve Daines’ last-minute retirement, sparking criticism that Daines picked his successor.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Kurt Alme, the former U.S. attorney for Montana.Alme for SenateShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 2, 2026, 10:22 PM EDTBy Bridget BowmanFormer U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme won the Republican Senate primary in Montana, NBC News projects, putting the Trump-backed candidate in a strong position to join the chamber next year. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Alme’s perch atop the GOP field came after a last-minute ballot switch with retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines. Daines, who is in his second term, told Semafor that he recruited Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board. Alme then filed to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrew his own candidacy, just a few minutes before the state’s filing period closed. Daines said the move was designed to block a well-known Democrat from seeing an opening to run against a non-incumbent, potentially drawing tens of millions of dollars in outside spending to the state. But some Republicans also pushed back, accusing Daines of orchestrating a backroom deal that deprived other potential candidates of the opportunity to run. Trump quickly endorsed Alme, saying he did so “based on Steve’s strongest recommendation.” Montana has moved to the right in recent years, and Alme is expected to be in a strong position in November. Trump carried Montana by 20 percentage points in 2024.But the state has had some hotly contested Senate races. They include the campaigns in 2024, when GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester by 7 points, and in 2020, when Daines defeated GOP former Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 points.This year,...