Shannon O’Brien, chair of the Montana Democratic Party, resigned her position on October 12, 2026, and immediately endorsed independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar.
O’Brien made the announcement through a published op-ed, describing herself as “a lifelong Montana Democrat” who originally ran for party chair to unify Democrats.
She wrote that the party is “more divided than ever — not because of our values but because of the race for the U.S. Senate.”
O’Brien’s endorsement of Bodnar puts her alongside several prominent Montana Democrats who have also broken from the party’s official nominee.
Former Gov. Steve Bullock, former Sen. Jon Tester, and former Sen. Max Baucus have all previously backed Bodnar over Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead.
O’Brien described Bodnar as someone who “listens,” is “kind, hardworking and bright,” and has “what’s best for Montana’s future in mind.”
Her resignation letter also raised “real questions about Democrat Alani Bankhead’s commitment to protecting a woman’s right to choose, her support of working people and her views of people living in poverty.”
O’Brien took direct aim at Republican nominee Kurt Alme as well, warning that President Trump “already has an automatic yes-man” in reference to the GOP candidate.
She framed her decision to leave the party chair role as a matter of the “greater good,” insisting her job has “always been to advance the values Democrats in this state care about.”
O’Brien argued that “the clearest path to doing that runs through an independent candidate,” a striking rebuke of her own party’s official Senate campaign.
Bodnar brings a notable resume to the race, having served as a former University of Montana president, Army veteran, West Point graduate, and Rhodes Scholar.
He entered the 2026 Senate race as an independent and faces Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, and Libertarian Kyle Austin in the November 3 general election.
The seat is being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines, making it one of the more closely watched Senate contests of the 2026 cycle.
The fractures within Montana’s Democratic Party reflect broader tensions over candidate selection and whether the party’s nominee aligns with the values of the state’s Democratic base.
O’Brien’s public break with the official ticket represents one of the most dramatic intraparty splits seen in Montana in recent political memory.
