Seth Bodnar Should Step Down from the Senate Race

Montana’s Democratic voters made a statement Tuesday, and it sounded something like “We’ve had enough of cookie cutter candidates.” Six months ago, the names Sam Fortag and Alani Bankhead would not have registered a hint of recognition to most people in Montana. But for the Western Congressional District, former smoke jumper Sam Forstag made a furious last-minute rally to overtake Ryan Busse and Russell Cleveland, two formidable candidates, two candidates who had been on the campaign trail for a couple of years or more. And for the senate race, Alani Bankhead accomplished a similar longshot victory over Reilly Neill, who’s also a veteran of hitting the pavement.

Neither Forstag nor Bankhead are traditional candidates, and that seems to have part of their appeal. And I think there’s a very logical explanation for that.

About six months ago, former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar, with encouragement from former Senator Jon Tester, declared his candidacy for the senate race, but did so as an Independent. And from what I’ve seen, Bodnar’s main campaign strategy seems to be a tactic we’ve become all too familiar with since the Supreme Court passed Citizen’s United. Bodnar’s campaign is proud to announce that he’s raised more money than any of the other candidates combined. And my question about that is to wonder exactly where that’s gotten us. We have the most corrupt, inept Congress, perhaps in the history of the United States. So why would we want more of the same? More of people who think this is a contest to raise the most money.

I have watched Alani Bankhead contend with a barrage of accusations concerning dark money, mainly fueled by a series of ads produced PACs that never asked for her permission. I called Alani just days after these accusations surfaced, and she was amused by the whole spectacle. “Why would I do that? How would it help me to accept help from people like this?” She has held this stance ever since the whole thing started, and there’s no good reason to doubt her. The rumor mill has her accepting this money to eventually bow out of the race to benefit Bodnar, and it’s not hard to imagine which party might want to spread these rumors.

I’m still struggling to understand why Bodnar would run as an independent. The only explanation I’ve heard that makes sense is that Tester is still angry at the Montana Democratic party because he lost the last race. I have always been a huge fan of Jon Tester, so if this is true, it’s hard to grasp. But even harder to grasp why Bodnar would agree to it, other than getting the financial support that is bound to come from those who are still loyal to Tester.

There is no precedent for an independent to win an election in Montana. There is in fact no reason to believe that Bodnar’s candidacy is going to do anything but interfere with whatever chances Bankhead has of winning this election, and that would be an absolute shame considering how much momentum she has right now. Her victory was actually quite remarkable considering how recently she came on the scene. And again, I think it says a lot about what Montana voters want right now.

Bodnar not only comes from a big business background, but he has been dogged by a sexual discrimination lawsuit that was filed while he was president of the college. People who know him claim that he was not responsible for the events that happened to provoke that suit, but in my mind, unless you’re a Republican, who seem to favor candidates with these kinds of charges, we should be running as far as possible from anyone who has a whiff of a history like this.

And maybe it’s unfair to assume that his history in the corporate world means he’s vulnerable to the kind of dark money that we have come to expect from that demographic, but when you look at the list of his contributors, it’s hard to avoid the suggestion that there’s a pillow in that bed that has an imprint that shows a remarkable resemblance to Mr. Bodnar.

With Bankhead showing no inclination to withdraw from this race, Bodnar’s insistence on running its course seems likely to hand the office over to the Republicans, at a time when we probably have the best chance we have in years of a Democrat winning this election. Which is why, in my humble opinion, Bodnar should do the right thing and step aside, then declare his support for Bankhead. Montanans seem to be ready for a dramatic change. Not one more rich white guy.