Big Sky Times

The Montana U.S. Senate primary results June 2 show Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines will face Gov. Steve Bullock in November. 

Green Party candidate Dennis Daneke, who made the news because he said he would resign if he won the nomination, was unsuccessful in his run.

Daines, as reported by KTVQ, is running for a second term and defeated two little known-candidates, while Bullock defeated engineer and rancher, John Mues.

“Thank you, Montana. I’m honored to serve you and appreciate all your support,” Daines said in an e-mail. “I spent 28 years in the private sector solving problems, delivering solutions and creating jobs. Our focus right now needs to be on helping Montana small businesses, workers and families get back to work.”

Daneke, who indicated if he won his party’s nomination he would resign, did not respond to a request for comment.

If Daneke did win as the Green Party candidate and resigned, he may have had to deal with the Federal Election Commission. FEC rules state that if a campaign no longer intends to receive contributions or make expenditures then it must file with the FEC a termination notice.

Daneke said he was a member of the Green Party but FEC records showed he donated heavily to Democratic campaigns, as previously reported by Big Sky Times.

Between 2003 and 2016, Daneke contributed funds to ActBlue more than 60 times. The fundraising platform is one that Bullock used as part of his campaign for U.S. Senate and is a platform used by numerous other Democrats running for office.

“The FEC records show Daneke also made donations to the Senate campaigns of [Democrats] John Tester and Monica Lindeen," the Big Sky Times previously reported. "It shows that, over 13 years, Daneke gave more than $6,700 to Democratic hopefuls and causes, including $2,935 to a union that has given political contributions almost exclusively to Democratic candidates, campaigns and causes. Other campaigns that he donated to include Kathleen Williams for Montana in 2018, It Starts Today and Dennis McDonald for Congress.” 

Daines did not respond to Daneke’s comments on resigning if he were nominated. He did acknowledge the challenging times the country is facing.

“These have been extraordinarily difficult times but together we can rebuild our economy, get Montanans back to work, and make America great again,” Daines said. “I will always put Montana first and defend our way of life."