Kurt Alme: 'Daines dropout dodged Tester trouble' in Senate race

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines’ last-minute re-election withdrawal and immediate endorsement of former federal prosecutor Kurt Alme to take his place was to avoid a high-profile Democratic challenger and reduce Republicans’ risk of losing Senate control, Alme told the Chronicle on Monday.

Critics say Daines withdrawing mere minutes before the March 4 filing deadline effectively installed Alme as a handpicked successor, stifling a substantial Democratic challenge and bypassing a potentially competitive Republican primary.

On Monday, Alme recounted his behind-the-scenes conversations leading to Daines’ surprise announcement.

“A few days prior to March 4 I got a call from Senator Daines saying he and his wife, Cindy, would like to retire, that they were concerned about losing the seat to the Democrats and losing the Senate,” Alme said. “Daines said he would only step down if someone like me stepped up. He let me know the morning of the filing deadline that he would withdraw from the race if I ran.”

President Donald Trump also endorsed Alme on March 4 on his Truth Social platform.

Trump called Alme “exceptional” and gave him his “complete and total endorsement” based on Daines’ recommendation.

Native politician Charles A. Walking Child is the only other challenger from the Republican side of the race. Less than 50 days remain before the June 2 primary.

“The senator said the reason he did this, waiting until the filing deadline to withdraw, was to discourage (ex-Sen.) Jon Tester and (former Gov.) Steve Bullock from jumping into the race,” Alme said. “That was Daines’ motivation, Daines’ decision. For me, I’m just focusing on going forward to the June primary and November general elections.”

The issues

Affordability, community safety and protecting the Montana way of life are Alme’s top campaign issues.

“We’ve got to get federal deficit spending under control because of the inflation that causes,” Alme said. “We need to continue to keep taxes low to keep money in peoples’ pockets and make life more affordable.”

Federal budget deficit spending under Joe Biden’s presidency was larger than Trump’s first 2017-2021 term, according to GIS Reports, an independent political forecasting and analysis service. Trump also left his first term in the White House with the largest peacetime budget deficit in American history and a national debt exceeding 100% of the economy for the first time post-World War II, per The Manhattan Institute, a conservative-leaning public policy think tank.

While director of the Montana Department of Revenue under then Gov. Judy Martz, Alme spearheaded a capital gains tax cut and the largest income tax rate reduction in Montana history.

Alme later served as budget director for Gov. Gianforte, enabling $60 million in additional tax reductions while balancing the state budget. Alme supports continuing federal cuts, but he did not specify which agency coffers he wants to shrink.

Cuts to public land agencies are highly unpopular in Montana, with some surveys citing as many as 86% of Western voters expressing concern over reduced funding. These cuts, affecting the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, jeopardize public access, threaten a $4 billion outdoor economy, and are seen as a move to prioritize private, extractive interests over local stewardship.

“What I did in Helena when I was budget director is what we need to do in D.C.,” Alme said. “Department by department, agency by agency, item by item — evaluate whether spending is necessary. Tough decisions need to be made, but Montana families make those decisions already in their own personal budgets.”

Alme, twice a Montana U.S. attorney, referenced his legal and nonprofit experience as enabling him to legislate reductions in violent crime and drug trafficking.

“As a member of the Justice Department, my job was to fairly enforce the law and be sure everyone is treated equally,” he said.

Alme served as president and general counsel of the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation from 2013-17. The foundation supports a range of programs for vulnerable youths, including therapeutic foster care and community advocacy.

“When I was at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation, I saw the effects meth was having on Montana kids and their communities,” Alme said. “I hope all the experiences I’ve lived, the things I’ve done in the nonprofit sector, are beneficial.”

Iran

Trump green-lighting the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli strike on Tehran didn’t start a war. Instead, he is ending pre-existing issues, according to Alme, who criticized “forever wars” in the Middle East but balked at congressionally halting Trump involving the military in Iran.

“We do need to keep our sons and daughters out of forever wars,” Alme said. “On the same token we have to ensure the president has sufficient flexibility to defend us. We need to support our president in his negotiations.”

After failed talks, the U.S. and Iran could hold new peace negotiations before the end of the week, per sources. Opening the Strait of Hormuz, a major petroleum shipping channel, remains a sticking point.

“Any of us who have been around know Iran has sought to destroy this country,” Alme said. “They’ve killed our citizens going all the way back to the hostage crisis nearly 50 years ago. I do support President Trump’s action trying to set back Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile arsenal, its support of terrorist groups, to reestablish the flow of oil.”

All in, Montana is why Alme wants to weigh in.

“Montana’s my home,” Alme said. “I grew up here, I lived across the state, and I’ve been a public servant my whole life. This is just a chance for me to step up and serve again.”