After weeks of speculation, former University of Montana President Seth Bodner has announced his candidacy for U-S Senator. He’ll be running as an Independent. Do do so, he’ll have to gather signatures from 5% of the voters who voted for Sen. Steve Daines in the last election.
In an email to KGEZ 20-20 News, Montana Democratic Party Chair Shannon O’Brien disavows Bodner’s candidacy. She states, “The mission of the Montana Democratic Party is to support candidates who run as Democrats. Full Stop.”
In his opening remarks, Bodner tells uss, “For too long, Montanans have watched as the American Dream has been held hostage by a broken political system that allows Washington politicians to divide us and line their own pockets while families across our state face higher costs and fewer opportunities. I’m running for Senate as an Independent because Montanans deserve a leader who bridges divides with commonsense solutions, stands up to political elites in Washington, and answers only to Montana, not national party bosses or DC insiders.”
We’re told by his campaign that Seth is guided by a lifelong commitment to duty, honor, and country. He graduated first in his class at West Point and served multiple overseas deployments, leading soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and the 1st Special Forces Group, and serving as a special advisor to the commanding general in Iraq. After his military service and a successful career in business, Seth spent the last 8-years leading the University of Montana. Under his leadership, the university achieved record high graduation rates, doubled research funding, launched the largest infrastructure renewal in campus history, restored financial stability, and was named the #1 military-friendly university in the country. Raised by two public school teachers, he believes leadership is about service, not party loyalty. Seth and his wife Chelsea, a 5th-generation Montanan, are raising their three children in Montana.
