More than $1 million spent by outside groups in Montana Democratic U.S. Senate primary

Over $1 million has been spent by outside groups in Montana's Democratic U.S. Senate primary, primarily targeting candidates Reilly Neill and Alani Bankhead. Groups like the American Leadership Fund, Progressive Vet PAC, and More Jobs, Less Government have funded digital, mail, and TV ads. Reilly Neill, a former state lawmaker, attributes the significant spending against her to her explicit opposition to data center development in Montana, stating, "The Montana people do not want this." She believes powerful financial interests are attempting to remove her from the race due to this stance.

The spending began last month with ads from the American Leadership Fund targeting Neill's policies as "too liberal." Subsequently, Progressive Vet PAC supported Bankhead, while More Jobs, Less Government ran ads against Neill and misrepresenting Bankhead. The funding for Progressive Vet PAC notably includes $200,000 from American Values Project PAC, which received money from Jason Carroll, a founder of Hudson River Trading. More Jobs, Less Government has documented connections to Republican Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy.

Candidates themselves have spent considerably less, with Neill leading her Democratic primary opponents with $216,464. Political science professor Eric Austin from Montana State University notes that early primary spending can be effective for defining candidates. Despite the ad blitz, Neill believes Montanan voters, many of whom have already returned absentee ballots, are astute and will not be heavily swayed by the negative campaigning.