Montana
A look at the GOP field for U.S. Senate in Montana
HELENA — The race for the Republican nomination in Montana’s U.S. Senate race wasn’t expected to get much attention – until everything changed a few minutes before the filing deadline. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines dropped out of the race and threw his support behind Kurt Alme, Montana’s former U.S. attorney.
(Watch the video to hear from the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate.)
A look at the GOP field for U.S. Senate in Montana
Alme told MTN he first learned Daines was considering leaving the Senate only a few days before the end of the state’s candidate filing period.
“Sen. Daines called and shared that he and Cindy would like to retire, but they were concerned about losing the seat and the Senate to the Democrats, so he said he would only step down if someone like me would agree to step up and run,” he said. “So because of the importance of maintaining the seat for the Republicans, I told the senator that if he were to decide to retire, that we would be interested in stepping up.”
Alme resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on March 4, the last day of candidate filing. He officially filed to run for Senate at 4:52 p.m., eight minutes before the deadline. Daines withdrew his candidacy at 4:57 p.m., then quickly endorsed Alme. Alme also received support from Montana’s other U.S. senator, Sen. Tim Sheehy, as well as from Gov. Greg Gianforte.
MTN asked Alme if he felt there was any frustration from voters over the last-minute switch. He echoed Daines’ explanation of the move, saying it was intended to keep a big-name Democratic candidate like former Sen. Jon Tester or former Gov. Steve Bullock from entering the race and bringing in large amounts of campaign spending.
“All I’m focusing on is the race we have in front of us and trying to get to the finish line and be sure we represent the people of Montana well, and do everything we can to earn their vote,” said Alme.
Jonathon Ambarian
Alme, 59, was born in Great Falls and lived in Dillon, Victor and Helena before graduating high school in Miles City. Today he lives in Billings. He describes himself as a “commonsense conservative.” This is his first time running for elected office, though he has spent a number of years working in government – and he says he’ll lean on that experience as he pursues his policy priorities.
Trump appointed Alme as Montana’s U.S. attorney in 2017, and he served through the end 2020. When Trump returned to the White House in 2025, he reappointed him.
“This last year, we had focused our team on violent criminals and drug traffickers, and we had prosecuted more defendants last year than we had prosecuted in more than 20 years,” he said.
In addition to public safety, Alme says he’s also prepared to tackle affordability. He served as director of the Montana Department of Revenue under Gov. Judy Martz in the early 2000s, and he was Gianforte’s first state budget director in 2021.
“I learned how to balanced budgets, and I learned how to put money back into the pockets of Montanans,” he said.
Alme also spent time as president of the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation and as an executive vice president with the National Christian Foundation.
While Alme comes into the Senate race with by far the most backing from top Republicans, it is still a contested primary for the GOP nomination. Two other Republican candidates also filed to run on the afternoon of March 4.
Jonathon Ambarian
Lee Calhoun, a political newcomer from Whitefish, filed when Daines was still in the race. He told MTN he wanted to challenge Daines because he believed the senator’s policies favored big business. While Daines’ decision to drop out took away his biggest reason for running, he said the candidate switch led him to believe Alme wouldn’t be significantly different.
“A lot of people in Montana are really not pleased with that well-orchestrated song and dance that was pulled off,” said Calhoun.
However, Calhoun admits his chance of being elected is “very slim.” He says he has essentially suspended active campaigning, because he wasn’t able to find the campaign staff to support a more robust run. His campaign website is merely a blank page reading “Coming Soon,” and he says he won’t be fundraising or holding campaign events.
Still, Calhoun’s name will be on the ballot, and he says people are welcome to vote for him if they share his point of view.
“At the end of the day, since I’m not owned by anyone or any organization at this point, it would be an opportunity for the people of Montana to have a U.S. senator that’s not owned by people who are more like the modern-day Copper Kings,” he said.
Calhoun, 75, grew up in Pennsylvania. He moved to Montana about 10 years ago. In Whitefish, he started Northstone Solar, which designs and installs solar-energy systems for homes and businesses. He has since sold the business to one of his employees.
Calhoun calls himself an “Eisenhower Republican” and says he’s disagreed with the direction of the party for years. He believes the current tax structure favors the upper class and large corporations at the expense of the middle class and small businesses. He also wants the U.S. to move toward a universal health care system. Jonathon Ambarian
If elected, Calhoun says he would serve only one term.
The third Republican on the ballot will be Charles Walking Child, of Helena. Walking Child operates an environmental contracting business. He has previously run in the Republican primaries for Montana’s eastern U.S. House seat in 2022 and U.S. Senate in 2024.
Walking Child has said he sees both major parties as failing to represent everyday Montanans, and that current elected Republicans are too focused on the wealthy.
MTN reached out to Walking Child for this story. He said he “will be giving no interviews, especially to fake news.”
The winner of the Republican primary will move on to the general election, along with one of five Democratic candidates and one of two Libertarians. An independent candidate is also seeking to qualify for the general election ballot.
BILLINGS — A new report highlighting aging roads and bridges across Montana is raising concerns in Billings, but transportation leaders say long-term investments and infrastructure projects are already underway to address the problem.
Watch the story below:
Montana transportation leaders address aging infrastructure at Billings summit
The report from national transportation research group TRIP found seven bridges in the Billings area are in poor condition, while another 186 are rated fair. Statewide, nearly one-third of Montana’s major roads are considered in poor condition, and 7% of bridges are classified as structurally deficient.
New report flags Billings bridges, rough roads as infrastructure concerns
The report did not identify the specific bridges in Billings.
For residents like Alisha Oster, who works at a gas station near the Blue Creek bridge that spans the Yellowstone River, concerns about aging infrastructure feel personal. She said crossing the bridge can feel unsettling, especially when large trucks pass through.
“When you go across it, it sounds like it’s cracking sometimes,” Oster said. “It just sometimes makes me feel like I’m just going to fall.”
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
Crews rehabilitated the Blue Creek bridge in 2024, but Oster said the report heightened concerns about other bridges in the Billings area.
“So it is concerning, not just this bridge, but like all the other bridges around Billings,” she said. “What happens if the bridge does cave in?”
Transportation leaders said the report’s findings were expected and reflect challenges the state has already been working to address.
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
“We’re well aware that it was going to come out,” Montana Department of Transportation Director Chris Dorrington said. “The results are not surprising. Some of Montana’s roads and bridges need attention.”
On Thursday, transportation officials, contractors, and local leaders gathered at the Northern Hotel in downtown Billings for the 2026 Infrastructure Summit, where discussions focused on long-term transportation and infrastructure needs across the state.
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
Dorrington said the summit brought together stakeholders from transportation, water, and wastewater systems, local governments, and private industry.
“We all came together … all interested in trying to do the very best of what we can for Montana’s transportation system,” Dorrington said.
David Smith, executive director of the Montana Contractors Association and chair of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, said many rural and county-owned bridges across Montana are decades old and in need of repair or replacement.
“We have a lot of off-system bridges, which are county bridges that are in old shape,” Smith said. “They’re 70, 80, 90 years old, so they need attention.”
Dorrington said MDT monitors thousands of bridges statewide through a rotating inspection schedule and has already developed long-term investment plans to address deteriorating infrastructure.
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
“In Montana, out of 5,000 (bridges), we have a lot that are going to need to be rebuilt, in addition to being maintained,” Dorrington said. “We look at the report as an indicator.”
He said the state plans to invest $1 billion into bridge projects over the next five years, including repairs or replacements for roughly 40 bridges annually.
Montana bridges are breaking down, but state has $1 billion plan to fix them
Still, officials acknowledged that inflation and rising construction costs continue stretching transportation dollars thinner.
“We still receive about the same amount of fuel tax revenues, and cars are more efficient,” Smith said. “So the income level for the state has been pretty flat through the years, but the cost of construction has greatly increased.”
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
The TRIP report warned that delaying repairs only increases long-term costs. According to the report, every dollar of deferred road and bridge maintenance can lead to an additional $4 to $5 in future repair costs.
Aging roads and rising costs put pressure Montana’s infrastructure system
Despite the challenges, officials pointed to major projects already completed in Billings as evidence that infrastructure investments are improving safety and capacity. Smith highlighted the recently completed $72 million Yellowstone River bridge replacement on Interstate 90.
“It increased the safety and the capacity for the interstate through Billings,” Smith said. “It’s been a great project, but it’s not cheap.”
Leaders at the summit also discussed future transportation projects, including planned improvements to the Johnson Lane interchange in Lockwood, which is expected to become a diverging diamond interchange.
Isabel Spartz/MTN News
The summit also focused on broader infrastructure concerns beyond highways and bridges, including water systems, wastewater facilities, rail infrastructure, and airports.
While construction projects may frustrate drivers in the short term, leaders argued that proactive investment can prevent larger infrastructure failures and more expensive repairs later.
“It’s important that associations and government work together to try and make sure that we’re in front of those things and anticipating where there might be failures in the future and mitigate that,” Smith said.
After approval from the board of trustees, Cancer Support Community Montana will expand and add a physical location in Helena.
Established in 2004, the non-profit currently has chapters in Missoula and Bozeman, while Helena has been operating as a chapter-in-development.
Now that members have voted to become a full chapter, they’re looking to find a permanent space in Helena where people can gather for support and connection.
Recent data shows nearly 600 people in the Helena area are diagnosed with cancer each year.
The non-profit offers free support programs with the goal of fostering community and breaking down barriers to care.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 20 drawing
10-28-30-46-57, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 20 drawing
05-14-26-39-46, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 20 drawing
14-18-25-30, Bonus: 07
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 20 drawing
12-27-37-40-66, Powerball: 17
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 20 drawing
02-37-39-42-43
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 20 drawing
14-23-27-44-50, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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