Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Mariah Thomas here for Friday’s Daily Roundup, in lieu of Lauren Frick and the weekend party newsletter. There hasn’t been much partying in my world this week as I’ve been down and out dealing with knee surgery number two to clear out some scar tissue from this ACL tear that’s been the gift (curse?) that doesn’t stop giving this year. That said, I’m feeling very grateful for the medical team that’s been around me as I’ve gone through this journey, and hopefully, we’re in the clear now!
While partying hasn’t been a big part of my world this week, political parties (and the candidates affiliated with them) have, as we’re deep in the throes of working on election coverage here at the Beacon. You’ll see our northwest Montana voter guide rolling out in the coming weeks here, as ballots start hitting mailboxes.
More urgently, last night three of the four Senate candidates whose names will appear on the ballot this fall met in a debate at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Independent Seth Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin answered a slate of questions from the hosts of the Beer, Buds & the Big Sky podcast about healthcare, affordability, money in politics and more, in addition to trading their fair share of barbs.
Absent was Republican Kurt Alme (pictured above), the undeniable frontrunner in the race. The hosts of the left-leaning podcast underscored his absence in their first question of the night, asking the other candidates to speak about what they called an “epidemic of Republicans not showing up for debates” that extends beyond Montana’s Senate race. The hosts also had a prop — a milk carton with Alme’s face on it — sitting on the debate stage the whole night. (ICYMI: Bankhead posted a photo with it on social media this morning.)
Alme has been missing at several debates around the state as he runs for the Senate seat, a point Montana State University political scientist Jessi Bennion said underscores his position as a frontrunner in the race.
“He doesn’t have to make splashes,” Bennion said. “He doesn’t have to do that. He doesn’t have to take interviews. You know, when you’re the frontrunner, you just have this position where you don’t have to do quite as much. You can kind of lay low, or go to friendly audiences, especially in a state, again, that is as Republican as Montana is.”
Other candidates without that status, Bennion said, can afford to take bigger risks as they campaign. And in a Senate race filled with several new names to the political world in Montana, the trio of Bodnar, Bankhead and Austin have met several times as they try to take their message to voters this fall.
On Thursday, the three found several points they agreed on during the debate: ending the Iran War, getting dark money out of politics, limiting congressional stock trading, calling for accountability among elected officials and shoring up ethical guidelines for the U.S. Supreme Court.
But just because there were points of agreement didn’t mean candidates weren’t taking jabs at each other. Austin (pictured above) began the debate by ribbing Bodnar and attempted to do so in several answers before the hosts chimed in and asked for a focus on answering the questions rather than attacking each other.
While talking about dark money in politics, Bodnar pointed to the outcome of the Democratic primary, in which Bankhead’s campaign received a boost from a mysterious PAC that helped her across the finish line. The group backed out of the general election in June after fueling Bankhead to victory. Bankhead rebutted that the group’s donors were connected to efforts to elect independent candidates in other states.
Bankhead (pictured above) took aim at Bodnar too. At one point, she said she didn’t understand how Bodnar planned to get anything done as he’s publicly taken the stance he won’t caucus with either Republicans or Democrats. The two parties dole out committee assignments in the Senate and a refusal to caucus with either is a difficult needle to thread functionally.
Bankhead also hit Bodnar again over a sexual discrimination lawsuit that was settled out of court while he was leading the University of Montana. Austin also got in on the action of critiquing Bodnar’s tenure as UM’s president, calling Bodnar a “failed University of Montana president” during his opening remarks.
Bodnar (pictured below), both during the debate and in previous interviews, has pointed to successes that happened during his time on campus, including the university reaching R1 research status, being named the most military-friendly school in the country and, in response to the lawsuit, heralding statistics about the hiring and promotion of women while he was on campus.
“I will stand by my record every single day for the University of Montana. We made great progress,” Bodnar said.
“He lost to the Cats,” Austin rebutted before the hosts interrupted the exchange.
Candidates differed on the issues of taxation and healthcare, spelling out their visions for what they would aim to do to help on those issues if elected.
On healthcare, Bankhead advocated for universal healthcare, suggesting the TRICARE system — used as healthcare for active-duty service members, their family members, National Guard and Reserve members and their families, retirees and retiree family members, survivors, and former spouses — could be a model to examine on a broader scale. Bodnar suggested restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies, protecting Medicaid Expansion and stopping new Medicaid eligibility requirements from the One Big Beautiful Bill would be top priorities for him. And Austin outlined his own plan, which he said would consolidate plans, eliminate waste and aim to get money to the patient.
On taxes, Austin promoted the idea of a federal flat tax at 2.5%, cutting out tax credits and deductions to keep things fair for all. Bankhead said she’d be in favor of a wealth tax. It was in keeping with her refrain from the night: the sentiment that the Senate race isn’t about the two-party system, but instead, the 1% and Epstein class versus everyone else. Bodnar, for his part, also suggested the tax code in its current iteration is unfair.
But for this reporter, the best question of the night came in the form of every candidate answering how old they were when they had their first beer. After all, it was Beer, Buds & the Big Sky hosting.
Bankhead quickly answered, “17.” Austin claimed he didn’t open a cold one ‘til he was legal, at age 21. Bodnar pleaded the Fifth.
Landowner Kills Collared Grizzly Bear in Close Encounter Near Trego
A radio-collared male grizzly had tried to access attractants in an outbuilding before the Oct. 1 shooting; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating
The Forest Service says the plan is largely unchanged from the version it rejected in 2023, and that it will gather public input while it screens the proposal
Columbia Falls Therapist Pleads Not Guilty to Child Sex Abuse, Drug Charges
Scott Thomas McFarlane, 41, entered the pleas in Flathead County District Court after authorities recovered thousands of videos of child sex abuse material in September. He is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
WCC is pleased to welcome SHOVELS & ROPE to the Flathead Valley. Shovels & Rope is an American folk + americana duo made up of married musicians Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. Based out of Charleston, they’re known for their raw, energetic sound that blends folk, country, rock, and a bit of blues.
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