At ‘Democrat Prom,’ party leaders rally candidates in Helena after GOP incumbents bow out

The Montana Democrats’ 2026 Mansfield Metcalf dinner had all the hallmarks of the party’s annual fundraiser: A hopeful message for the future, freely flowing alcoholic drinks, an anti-Israel protester and gossip bubbling off stage.

This glitzy, election-year fundraiser is held following the deadline for political candidates to file to run for office. The event, which is often referred to as “Democrat prom,” helps kickstart the election cycle for the party by raising money and providing all the Democratic candidates running for statewide and federal office a stage to pitch themselves to party insiders.

This year’s keynote speaker was Arizona Democratic U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, a possible 2028 presidential candidate. His speech was briefly interrupted by a 17-year-old protester with a megaphone criticizing Gallego for receiving money from a pro-Israel lobbying group. Pro-Palestinian protesters crashed the event in 2024.

The 2026 dinner also came on the Saturday after one of the most earth-shattering weeks in the state’s political history. Early in the week, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke unexpectedly dropped out of the running for Montana’s western congressional seat, citing ongoing health issues. His exit led to a flurry of candidates entering the Republican primary, while Democrats said that the path to winning may have become clearer. Then, minutes before the filing deadline on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew his candidacy, only leaving time for one Republican to file who was in on the scheme. In what would have topped any other week in Montana’s political news, a formidable independent candidate, former University of Montana president Seth Bodnar, also announced his run for Senate, which spurred Montana Democratic leaders to publicly say the party will only back Democrats.

Gallego celebrated his fellow senator’s exit from the contest, telling the room that Daines was “afraid.”

According to national outlets, Daines left his exit until the last minute to fend off any competitive Democrat.

“Steve Daines … put his own political interests ahead of Montana voters,” Gallego said. “He rigged the system and undermined the democratic process.”

With the exit of two multi-term Republican incumbents, the landscape of the races has shifted significantly. And nationwide, Democrats’ chief goal is regaining the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they say they have reason to believe that a blue wave is coming for the country.

The state Democratic Party has grappled with how to gain back some control after a Republican sweep pushed Democrats out of every statewide and federal office in Montana for the first time in over 100 years. This year, the state party’s leadership told the hundreds of people that 2026 can be the year to “move the needle.”

In midterm election years, the party that comes out on top is often the one that is not occupying the White House. Between that and President Donald Trump’s declining popularity ratings, Democrats are hoping for huge electoral victories.

At the 2026 Mansfield Metcalf dinner, speakers pushed messages of affordability, and encouraged those in the room to organize to position Montana Democratic candidates to benefit from a possible blue wave, while consternation over Bodnar’s bid as an independent lingered below the surface.

“November is going to be here before we know it, and the Montana Democratic Party has a plan,” said Shannon O’Brien, chair of the Montana Democratic Party. “This plan is to capture this true grassroots groundswell, and we're focusing on long term, consistent relationships built on trust. If we know anything, we know that trust is what we need to rebuild, and we're going to do it.”

Democratic candidates across the country are pitching themselves to voters as the party to help make daily life more affordable again, and the candidates in Montana are no different: Nearly every political hopeful said they would prioritize bringing down costs.

The four primary candidates – Ryan Busse, Russ Cleveland, Matt Rains and Sam Forstag – in Montana’s western congressional district all spoke to how Montana has become increasingly unaffordable in recent years, which has priced many people out who otherwise would call the state home.

“We win by speaking plainly about the big goals we need to make Montana work for all of us: building housing working people can actually afford,” said Forstag, the youngest candidate in the primary and a former smokejumper.

Multiple speakers hammered the idea that the party can’t just expect to ride the blue wave, but instead that those listening in the room have to work to make these victories happen.

“Now, I know this is supposed to be a night of rah rah and high fiving for Democrats, but let's face it, we got a little work to do too,” Busse said.

The race for Montana’s Senate seat has not been on the radar of Democrats as one the party can pick up, and that became even more true after Bodnar jumped in as an independent. There has been some quiet consternation over Bodnar’s choice to join as an independent instead of a Democrat, as those two parties are likely to split the vote and hand the victory to the Republican in the race.

Without naming Bodnar, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Reilly Neill took a not-so-subtle jab at the former UM president.

“You know, we told you we were going to do it, and we did it: We got rid of Daines, and it's an honor to have served and to be running as a Democrat. We cannot split the vote if we stick together, we're going to send a Democrat to the US Senate,” she said in her speech Saturday.

“I'm a real proud Democrat, and you know, no one's going to have to ask me who I'm going to caucus with,” she later added.

The state Democratic party did not have final fundraising numbers as of print time, but a spokesperson for the party said the organization sold 750 tickets, and the proceeds will go towards getting Democrats elected in the state.