The outside group that bankrolled nearly all of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alani Bankhead’s public visibility announced in late June it was withdrawing from Montana’s general election race, declaring that Bankhead lacks a viable path to victory in November — and leaving her campaign largely on its own with just $24,000 raised as of mid-May.
A PAC That Appeared From Nowhere
Progressive Vet PAC was formed on April 27, just twelve days before Montana began mailing absentee ballots to voters statewide. In the weeks that followed, the group poured more than $3 million into advertising and phone banking on Bankhead’s behalf, accounting for nearly all the promotional activity her campaign received during the primary season.
The group’s origins and donor base drew scrutiny, particularly given the stark contrast between its spending and Bankhead’s own fundraising. PACs are legally prohibited from coordinating directly with campaigns, and no explanation was offered publicly for why an outside group with no prior history in Montana politics committed that level of spending to a candidate who had raised so little on her own.
No PAC spending on behalf of Bankhead has been recorded since June 3, the day after Montana’s primary election. In a mid-June statement, the PAC’s treasurer outlined the group’s next steps, and by late June, Progressive Vet formally announced it was stepping away from the Montana race entirely, citing the candidate’s lack of a viable route to a November win.
Bankhead Stands Firm Despite the Withdrawal
Bankhead, who defeated Reilly Neill in the Democratic primary, has repeatedly said she will not exit the general election race despite the funding gap and the departure of her primary outside backer. She acknowledged the financial challenge but framed it as a matter of grassroots support.
“Regardless of the PAC money or whatever, no candidate can run without the support of the people,” Bankhead said. “We have to scale up because it’s a bigger game.”
What that scaling-up looks like in practical terms remains unclear. With the PAC gone, Bankhead faces a November contest against two candidates running serious, well-funded operations — and a financial disadvantage that rivals the lopsided nature of the independent expenditure that briefly elevated her profile.
As detailed in an earlier report, Progressive Vet PAC pulled nearly $3 million from the Montana race and shifted its focus to a U.S. Senate contest in Kansas following the primary.
The Field Bankhead Must Compete Against
Republican Kurt Alme and independent Seth Bodnar are both running seven-figure campaigns. Since the June primary, outside groups have directed roughly $869,000 in advertising toward Alme or Bodnar — but nothing toward Bankhead.
Bodnar has attracted endorsements from two of Montana’s most prominent Democratic former officeholders. Former U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester have both publicly backed the independent candidate, a signal that a portion of Montana’s center-left political establishment has moved toward Bodnar rather than the Democratic Party’s nominee.
The Bodnar campaign was quick to draw a contrast on the outside-money question. Spokeswoman Abby Tracy said, “Seth is the only candidate in this race who hasn’t been boosted by millions in dark money.”
That line of attack is likely to persist as the race develops, particularly given the unresolved questions surrounding Progressive Vet PAC’s rapid formation, its concentrated spending, and its equally abrupt departure.
Broader Questions About Campaign Finance
The episode arrives at a moment when Montana is already engaged in a broader debate over outside money in state politics. Montana Republicans formally opposed Initiative 194, a campaign finance measure on the November ballot, earlier this year — underscoring that the rules governing how money flows into state and federal races remain a live political issue heading into the fall.
For Bankhead, the immediate challenge is more concrete: how to fund a statewide general election campaign in a three-way race without the outside group that made her primary campaign possible. Whether she can build independent financial infrastructure before November remains the central question for her bid.
