Montana’s attorney general opened an inquiry after the Democrats’ own Senate nominee said she was offered a party job to quit the race, which he says would break state election law if true.
Story Highlights
- Democratic Senate nominee Alani Bankhead says she was offered a job with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) if she dropped out.
- The DNC denies it and says no job was ever offered.
- Attorney General Austin Knudsen says the offer, if true, appears to break a Montana law against promising anything of value to get someone to quit a race.
- His office plans to contact Bankhead, independent candidate Seth Bodnar and the DNC.
- Bankhead also wrote that a sitting U.S. senator, whom she did not name, offered her a job, “presumably if I would leave the race.”
On Wednesday, October 21, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, posted on X that Bankhead’s claim was “extremely concerning.” He wrote, “If this is true, it appears to be a violation of Montana Code Annotated 13-35-221.” That law says no one may pay or promise “valuable consideration,” meaning money, a job or anything else of value, to get a person to stop being a candidate. Knudsen said his office would reach out to Bankhead, Bodnar and the DNC to investigate.
WATCH: Montana AG Opens Investigation After DNC Allegedly Offered Democrat Alani Bankhead a Job to Quit Her Senate Race https://t.co/RrM9VUNeKw #gatewaypundit via @gatewaypundit
— SavageSam (@doehillmeme) October 22, 2026
The DNC denies the claim. A DNC official said Bankhead was never offered a job by the committee, according to reports. Bodnar’s campaign said he has never asked Bankhead to drop out and that no one on his campaign knew of or took part in any such offer.
What Bankhead Says She Was Offered
Bankhead is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who won the Democratic primary for the open seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines. In an October 15 interview with Montana PBS, she was asked if she had been offered something to leave the race. She said yes. “They offered to be, and I’m probably going to butcher this, but the DNC’s head of female veteran candidates or something like that,” she said.
She said she turned it down. “Why would I go work for an organization that is actively working against me,” she said. “I can’t be bought, anyway. But that was the only thing that was put on the table.” Her campaign later said, “Alani described the offer in her PBS interview. She said no and stayed in the race.”
Why Democrats Want Her Out
Bankhead faces Republican Kurt Alme and Bodnar, who is running as an independent. Early polling showed Bodnar could beat Alme one-on-one, according to reports, and many Democrats have pushed Bankhead to step aside. She has said she will not drop out to help him.
In an opinion piece published October 9, Bankhead wrote that 22 Democratic state legislators signed a letter asking her to leave the race and that a Democratic governor asked her to quit. She also wrote that a sitting U.S. senator, whom she did not name, offered her a job, “presumably if I would leave the race.” On October 12, Montana Democratic Party chair Shannon O’Brien resigned and endorsed Bodnar.
The Denial and the Responses
When reporters asked for more, Bankhead’s campaign did not give names or other details. It said it would cooperate fully if the attorney general opens an inquiry and would not discuss details in public while that is possible. Knudsen’s office said it had nothing additional to share at this time.
Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy backed the investigation and called the alleged offer a “blatant attempt at bribery.” Montana’s Secretary of State’s office said that if a candidate withdraws, state law requires the party to name a replacement.
Why It Matters to Voters
Montana’s law exists to keep candidates from being bought off the ballot. It covers a promise of anything of value, not only cash, which is why a job offer is at issue. Voters, not deal-makers, are meant to decide who stays in a race and who wins it.
What Comes Next
Knudsen’s office has not released any findings or said when its review will end. The test under the law is whether anyone promised Bankhead something of value in exchange for leaving the race. Bankhead remains in the race ahead of Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.
Sources:
nbcmontana.com, kulr8.com, yahoo.com, x.com
