For months, the senior U.S. senator from Montana pondered his political future.<\/p>\n
Or so he said.<\/p>\n
Wrapping up his second term and facing a glide path to a third, Steve Daines unexpectedly opted this month <\/a>against seeking reelection, saying in an aw-shucksy video he planned to spend more time back home in Montana<\/a> and enjoy more cherished moments with his seven grandkids. <\/p>\n Notably, after long \u201cwrestling with this decision,\u201d Daines announced his intent a scant two minutes after the deadline passed for candidates to put their names on the ballot. March 4 at 5:02 p.m local time, to be precise.<\/p>\n More notable still, Daines\u2019 preferred successor, Republican former U.S. Atty. Kurt Alme, jumped into the race at 4:52 p.m. that very same day.<\/p>\n There are relay runners who might learn a thing or two from their timing and coordination.<\/p>\n As part of the seamless handoff, Alme was swiftly endorsed by President Trump, Montana\u2019s Republican governor, Greg Gianforte<\/a>, and its other Republican senator, Tim Sheehy, for all intents settling the GOP contest and, quite likely, choosing the state\u2019s next member of the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n Never mind what voters might have wished, or other prospective candidates might have had in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of Republicans in the state, folks with political ambitions, who are extremely peeved right now,\u201d said Kal Munis, a Montana native and political science professor at Auburn University, who closely tracks politics in his home state.<\/p>\n Moreover, Munis said, with enough notice a heavy-hitting Democrat might have entered the contest, instead of the lowly bunch now running hopeless campaigns.<\/p>\n Montana, which has a rich Democratic history, has become a solidly Republican state, though the makeover took some time to complete.<\/p>\n As recently as 2008, Barack Obama made a serious run there<\/a>, losing to John McCain by less than 3 percentage points<\/a>. Montana had a Democratic governor <\/a>until Gianforte was elected in 2020 and a Democratic U.S. senator until Jon Tester was defeated in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, while Daines\u2019 seat hardly appeared at great risk for the GOP, a fight for the party\u2019s nomination might have been a costly distraction, diverting money and attention that could go elsewhere as Republican prospects for the midterm election grow increasingly dim. (An unpopular war<\/a> and shaky economy <\/a>that\u2019s been knee-capped by a sudden spike in oil prices<\/a> will do that.)<\/p>\n Of all people, Daines certainly appreciates the bigger political picture, having led Republicans\u2019 Senate campaign committee during the 2024 cycle<\/a>. So he and his allies short-circuited the election process by laying hands on Alme, who stepped down as U.S. attorney to sidle into the Senate.<\/p>\n Seth Bodnar was among those who quite rightly criticized Daines for, as Bodnar put it, having \u201cso 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.\u201d<\/p>\n It just goes to show, Bodnar suggested, \u201cthe disgusting arrogance of Washington politicians and their party bosses who trade power back and forth like candy.\u201d<\/p>\n Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana, is running for Senate as an independent, conspicuously steering clear of the toxic Democratic brand. There is speculation the high-handed behavior of Daines, Trump and other Republicans might be enough to give Bodnar\u2019s steep-odds candidacy a decent shot in November. <\/p>\n Munis, for one, is doubtful.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a number of activist types who are deeply angered by this,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when it comes to tallying votes in an election, that\u2019s just a drop in the bucket.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Daines\u2019 scheming, stick-it-to-the-voters approach isn\u2019t just a Montana Republican thing.<\/p>\n Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia of Illinois announced in the fall that he would not seek a fifth term this year. The last-second move \u2014 which came after Garcia had earlier filed paperwork to run for reelection \u2014 made it so his chief of staff and preferred successor, Patty Garcia (no relation), was the only major Democrat to appear on the ballot, virtually guaranteeing her election in November.<\/p>\n The cynical maneuver so disgusted Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez<\/a>, a maverick Democrat from rural Washington state<\/a>, that she defied party leaders and introduced a resolution rebuking Garcia.<\/p>\n His actions were \u201cbeneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution,\u201d said Gluesenkamp Perez, who was jeered and booed by fellow Democrats during the floor debate for having the temerity \u2014 heavens to Betsy! \u2014 to put principle above knee-jerk partisanship. The measure passed the House,<\/a> 236 to 183, with only 22 Democrats joining Gluesenkamp Perez in support.<\/p>\n In California, the law prevents incumbents from pulling off the kind of underhanded stunt that Garcia and Daines managed. That\u2019s because the filing deadline is automatically extended for an extra five days whenever a sitting lawmaker opts against seeking another term.<\/p>\n