One of Montana’s two representatives in the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress, elected to a six-year term. Incumbent Steve Daines is seeking re-election. Montana’s other senator, Jon Tester, is next up for re-election in 2024.
U.S. Senate
Candidates
Key coverage in the race for U.S. Senate
Race profile: The Trump and COVID show
Montana's Senate race pits incumbent Trump stalwart Steve Daines versus two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. The results may hinge on presidential performance and pandemic response — and could change the face of the upper chamber of Congress.
Shared State: Ep. 4 — The quiet beauty of our state
How one aspect of our shared environment, public lands‚ is playing out in Montana’s U.S. Senate race.
Montana PBS debate: U.S. Senate
Video of Daines and Bullock at their Montana PBS debate Sept. 28
Campaign finance
As reported in quarterly filings. Data current through 10/14/2020.
$69,088,961
Total raised in race
$64,709,796
Total spent
| Candidate | Total raised | Individual contributions | Committee contributions | Self-financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Bullock (D) | $43,388,861 | $40,391,677 | $2,977,239 | $0 |
| Steve Daines (R-INCUMBENT) | $25,700,101 | $21,238,994 | $4,400,623 | $0 |
Note: Fundraising components in table don't necessarily sum to exact total because of miscellaneous receipts and accounting adjustments. Self-financing includes candidate contributions and campaign loans.
Source: Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Primary results
Vote totals from Montana's June 2, 2020 primary election.
GOP U.S. Senate primary
| Candidate | Votes counted | % of vote | Votes behind |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEVE DAINES | 192,935 | 88.0% | 0 |
| JOHN BRIAN DRISCOLL | 13,943 | 6.4% | 178,992 |
| DANIEL R LARSON | 12,318 | 5.6% | 180,617 |
Dem. U.S. Senate primary
| Candidate | Votes counted | % of vote | Votes behind |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEVE BULLOCK | 144,945 | 95.5% | 0 |
| JOHN MUES | 3,740 | 2.5% | 141,205 |
| MIKE KNOLES | 3,164 | 2.1% | 141,781 |
Media coverage
Stories tracked in our database of 2020 election coverage.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Top Democrats campaign in Bozeman ahead of election
11/01/2020
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Daines campaigns in Bozeman ahead of Election Day
10/31/2020
NBC Montana
Crowded indoor GOP rally criticized by health workers
10/30/2020
NBC Montana
Cruz campaigns for Montana GOP candidates
10/29/2020
Los Angeles Times
‘Montana values’ could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate
10/29/2020
PBS News Hour
How Montana’s Senate race became so competitive -- and costly
10/28/2020
KRTV
Marco Rubio campaigns for Steve Daines in Great Falls
10/28/2020
KLYQ
Bullock Headlines Democratic Rally in Hamilton
10/27/2020
KGVO
Daines Shares His Concerns About Potential Democratic Control in Washington
10/26/2020
NBC Montana
NBC Montana/Strategies 360 poll shows extremely tight Montana races
10/22/2020
The New Yorker
The Montana Voters Who Could Decide Control of the Senate
10/21/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Former UN Ambassador Haley crisscrosses Montana for Republican candidates for Senate, governor
10/19/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Nikki Haley to campaign Monday in Great Falls for Daines
10/16/2020
Sidney Herald
Sen. Daines shows up for Sidney farmers
10/16/2020
Associated Press
Bullock Outraises Daines More than 2-1 in Latest Quarter - Flathead Beacon
10/15/2020
Great Falls Tribune
‘I’m a magnet for Montana’: Donald Trump holds ‘TeleRally’ for state’s GOP candidates
10/14/2020
KHQ
Daines awarded ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ award for work in US senate
10/14/2020
Lee Newspapers
Daines and Bullock locked in tight Senate race
10/12/2020
Missoulian
Bullock rallies at Kiwanis Park
10/11/2020
Billings Gazette
Daines and Arkansas Sen. Cotton meet creators of Montana Mask
10/09/2020
KPAX
Sen. Daines visits Falkor Defense facility in Kalispell
10/08/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Sen. Tom Cotton joins Daines on campaign trail, targets Bullock
10/08/2020
MTN News
U.S. Senate contest is now the most expensive campaign in Montana history
10/06/2020
Billings Gazette
US Energy Secretary tours Colstrip, talks carbon capture technology
10/02/2020
Associated Press
Bullock urges local steps to stop virus, none new from state
10/02/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Daines meets with Trump Supreme Court pick, gives ‘full support’
10/01/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Montana Indian Caucus urges Daines to vote ‘no’ on filling Supreme Court vacancy
09/29/2020
KULR
Montana officials release statements following Pres. Trump’s SCOTUS nomination of Amy Coney Barrett
09/26/2020
Associated Press
Republican duo reshapes Montana politics in Trump’s style
09/25/2020
NBC Montana
Bozeman residents protest outside Daines’ office over Supreme Court vacancy
09/23/2020
FiveThirtyEight
Election Update: The Senate Races The Supreme Court Fight May (Or May Not) Affect
09/22/2020
KGVO
Gary Marbut Scolds Steve Bullock over Dangerous Gun Campaign Ad
09/22/2020
Missoulian
Daines says different rules justify pre-election court change
09/21/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Montana officials enter the fray over Ginsburg replacement
09/20/2020
New York Times
Our Poll* Shows Close Race for Senate in Montana
09/20/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Senate candidates seek letter carriers’ stamp of approval
09/18/2020
The Hill
Pence seeks to boost Daines in critical Montana Senate race
09/14/2020
MTN News
New poll: Daines up on Bullock by 3 points; Trump leads by 7 in MT
09/12/2020
MTN News
GOP pours on the attacks against Bullock – what’s true?
09/03/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Sen. Daines, Gov. Bullock blow smoke over carbon pricing proposal
08/29/2020
New York Times
Why Montana Is a Test Case for Democrats’ Winning the Senate
08/28/2020
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Coronavirus relief group criticizes ad in Senate race
08/27/2020
KTVQ
Daines weighs in on Montana schools sports fan restrictions
08/26/2020
Missoulian
Bullock rejects Democratic party platform
08/19/2020
Lee Newspapers
Senate race breaks fundraising records
08/07/2020
Huffington Post
Could COVID-19 Decide A Key Senate Race?
08/05/2020
MTN News
TV ad watch: Does Bullock support `government-controlled health care’?
07/20/2020
MTN News
Sen. Daines hosts Montana Ag roundtable in Great Falls
07/16/2020
KPAX
Gov. Bullock visits SmartLam’s new manufacturing facility in Columbia Falls
07/14/2020
Los Angeles Times
With a Senate majority in reach, Democratic candidates rake in massive donations
07/08/2020
Roll Call
Paycheck program hits the campaign airwaves - Roll Call
07/07/2020
Modern Farmer
Five 2020 Races to Watch in Farm Country
07/07/2020
The Nation
Can This Montana Governor Deliver the Senate to the Democrats?
07/06/2020
Fox News
Never Trumpers cross line with party operatives by targeting GOP senators: ‘Taking it too far’
06/29/2020
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Sen. Daines visits local business to highlight federal relief
06/27/2020
National Public Radio
Steve Bullock’s COVID-19 Response May Boost His Senate Run In Montana
06/26/2020
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Bullock talks grant program at Bozeman cafe
06/23/2020
MTN News
Bullock, Daines prepare for epic Senate battle – by aiming for the center
06/22/2020
Cook Political Report
Montana Senate Moves to Toss Up
06/18/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Senate passage of $2.8B conservation plan praised in Montana
06/17/2020
Associated Press
With his sights now on Senate, Bullock still battling Trump
06/11/2020
MTN News
Did Mitch McConnell hand Steve Daines an election year gift with the Great Outdoors Act?
06/09/2020
Flathead Beacon
Trump Says He’ll Campaign in Montana for Sen. Steve Daines - Flathead Beacon
06/06/2020
NBC Montana
Bullock, Daines camps already talking debates
06/04/2020
Montana Free Press
Familiar names headed to general election for Montana’s federal delegation | Montana Free Press
06/03/2020
The Hill
Bullock outraises Daines in Montana Senate race
05/22/2020
Montana Public Radio
Steve Bullock 2020 Election Questionnaire
05/21/2020
Montana Public Radio
John Mues 2020 Candidate Questionnaire
05/21/2020
Montana Public Radio
Steve Daines 2020 Election Questionnaire
05/21/2020
Montana Public Radio
John Driscoll 2020 Election Questionnaire
05/21/2020
Montana Public Radio
Daniel Larson 2020 Election Questionnaire
05/21/2020
Montana Public Radio
Dennis Daneka 2020 Election Questionnaire
05/21/2020
The Hill
Top GOP super PAC plans Montana ad blitz
05/18/2020
Independent Record
Lewis and Clark County Commissioner Geise withdraws as Libertarian Senate candidate
05/15/2020
Roll Call
Bullock attacks money in politics as super PAC goes after Daines
05/07/2020
Choteau Acantha
Geise fills for U.S. Senate
05/05/2020
Montana Free Press
Poll: Bullock leads Daines in Senate race | Montana Free Press
05/05/2020
MTN News
Libertarians have new U.S. Senate candidate in MT race
03/18/2020
Montana Standard
Bullock, happy with Parrot progress, says he’s listening to Butte on consent decree
03/15/2020
KBUL
Senator Daines Endorsed by Iron Workers Union
02/26/2020
Montana Free Press
In Bozeman, Democratic senatorial candidates jostle for a chance to challenge Daines | Montana Free Press
02/24/2020
Mountain Journal
Will Montana’s Senate Race Become A National Bellwether?
02/24/2020
Lee Newspapers
Democrats square off in U.S. Senate race debate
02/22/2020
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Democratic senate candidates talk climate, health care, minimum wage, in first debate
02/21/2020
Billings Gazette
Stevensville man to challenge Daines in GOP Senate primary
02/19/2020
Lee Newspapers
Another Bozeman resident running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat
02/18/2020
Breitbart
Steve Daines Attacked by Dark Money Green Groups
01/18/2020
Helena Independent Record
Daines raises $1.4 million in 4th quarter
01/14/2020
Face2Face Africa
Wilmot Collins, the Liberian refugee who became the first black mayor in Montana - Face2Face Africa
01/14/2020
Great Falls Tribune
Daines joins effort to drop articles of impeachment
01/08/2020
Yellowstone Public Radio
Montana, Wyoming Congress Members Urge SCOTUS To Reconsider Roe v Wade
01/03/2020
The Economist
What America could lose by curtailing refugee resettlement
12/05/2019
Billings Gazette
Guest opinion: Why I want to be Montana’s U.S. senator
10/29/2019
KTVQ
Democrat Neumann makes Billings stop for U.S. Senate campaign
10/21/2019
NPR
In Montana, A Liberian Refugee Mounts A U.S. Senate Challenge
10/09/2019
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Two Bozeman Democrats enter U.S. Senate race
10/01/2019
Lee Newspapers
Democrat Cora Neumann announces for U.S. Senate
10/01/2019
KGVO
Senator Daines Addresses GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Missoula
09/14/2019
Lee Newspapers
Democrat John Mues joins U.S. Senate race
09/13/2019
Helena Independent Record
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins announces 2020 bid for US Senate
05/13/2019
MTN News
Sen. Steve Daines talks about compromise bill, 2020 run for re-election on Montana this Morning
02/15/2019
Roundupweb.com
Democratic Senate Candidate John Mues Speaks to Richland County Voters
Havre Daily News
Mues stumps in Havre for U.S. Senate
Great Falls Tribune
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Havre Daily News
Interior deputy tours St. Mary Diversion, holds roundtable
Havre Daily News
Daines talks with local leaders about local concerns
Havre Daily News
Bullock responds to RNC, Trump campaign election lawsuit
Havre Daily News
Bullock and other democratic candidates visit Hill County
Stay tuned for more
We'll be updating this page with new information through Election Day in November 2020.
Have ideas about additional coverage that would be helpful as you consider your vote? Tell us at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.