Steve Daines' handpicked Senate successor Kurt Alme vows to keep Montana in Republican hands in 2026

FIRST ON FOX: Montana will again have a new face coming to the Senate, with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., bowing out. His chosen successor knows he was picked to stop Democrats from taking the seat.

Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme was handpicked by Daines at the last minute to replace him, and he has no qualms about it as Republicans try to maintain their majority in the upper chamber in a midterm election cycle that is historically a referendum on the party — and president — in control.

"Knowing how important it was for Republicans to hold the Senate, I told him if he decided to retire, I would be interested," Alme told Fox News Digital in an interview.

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Daines, who was seeking a third term in the Senate, dropped out of the race in early March, withdrawing his name just as the registration deadline in Montana was approaching. As he bowed out, Alme leapt in.

The move drew heavy criticism from Daines’ opponents in the state and from Democrats in Washington, D.C., but Alme described the plan as one geared toward maintaining the balance of power in the upper chamber.

Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president who jumped into the race as an independent hours before Daines’ exit, said on X that the lawmaker had "so little respect for Montana Republicans that he withdrew at the last minute to coronate his handpicked successor instead of giving them a voice at the ballot box."

"This is the disgusting arrogance of Washington politicians and their party bosses who trade power back and forth like candy while Montanans are crushed under higher costs and fewer opportunities," Bodnar said.

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It’s a move fitting for Daines, given that he has become one of Washington’s savviest political operators and played a key role in clinching Republicans’ Senate majority while serving as National Republican Senatorial Committee chair during the 2024 election cycle.

"The way it happened was Senator Daines called me a few days before the filing deadline, and he said he wanted to retire, but he didn’t want to lose the seat and the Senate to the Democrats," Alme said. "He said he’d only retire if he knew someone like me would step up and keep the seat in Republican hands."

"So then, the morning of the filing deadline, he let me know that he would withdraw if I stepped up. So I resigned as U.S. attorney and entered the race, and now, with President Trump’s endorsement, we’re moving forward full speed with the election," he continued.

Alme quickly racked up endorsements from President Donald Trump, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and his possible future colleague Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. It’s no surprise, considering Trump twice tapped Alme to serve as U.S. attorney in the Treasure State and that he previously served as Gianforte’s budget director.

Trump said on Truth Social that "if Kurt didn’t have the highest level of aptitude and talent, Steve would have remained exactly where he is."

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"But Kurt is exceptional, and I will be giving him, based on Steve’s strongest recommendation, my Complete and Total Endorsement," Trump said.

Though Trump won Montana by nearly 20 points in 2024 and has consistently notched double-digit wins in his three bids for the White House, Alme’s ascension to the upper chamber isn’t guaranteed.

He’ll have to prevail in a three-way statewide contest against Bodnar, the independent, and the expected Democratic nominee, former Montana state Rep. Reilly Neill, who believes Daines’ exit will give her a boost.

"His stepping down opens the field for the United States Senate, and this is a good development for Montana," Neill said.

Still, Alme is leaning into his bona fides in his pitch to Montana voters, particularly when it comes to bringing back "fiscal discipline" and continuing the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime.

"I’ve got to go out and prove who I am, and I’m going to have to earn people’s votes," Alme said.

"We think that the Republican platform — and certainly President Trump’s approach to governing — is a winner in Montana," he continued. "And we think that if we stick to our conservative roots, we’re going to perform well against anyone."