The 2014 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate from Montana, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Democratic Senator Max Baucus, who had announced he would retire and not seek a seventh term in office, resigned from the Senate in February 2014 in order to accept an appointment as United States Ambassador to China. Democrat John Walsh, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana, who was already running for Baucus' seat when Baucus was named to the ambassadorship, was appointed to replace Baucus by Governor Steve Bullock.
Walsh, who had won the Democratic primary, withdrew from the race on August 7, 2014 in the aftermath of allegations that he had plagiarized a term paper while attending the Army War College. Democrats selected Amanda Curtis, a State Representative from Butte, to replace Walsh as the party's nominee at a convention in Helena on August 16.
Daines defeated Curtis by a 57.9% to 40.0% with Libertarian Roger Roots winning 2.2%. Daines and Arkansas’ Tom Cotton became just the 18th and 19th U.S. House freshmen to win U.S. Senate races over the last 100 years, and just the third and fourth over the last 40 years.
Dirk Adams, rancher, businessman and former business law professor
John Bohlinger, former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Montana
John Walsh, incumbent U.S. Senator, former Lieutenant Governor of Montana and former Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard
Max Baucus, former U.S. Senator
Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana
John Brueggeman, former Republican State Senator
Shane Colton, attorney and former Commissioner of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Amanda Curtis, State Representative
Melinda Gopher, writer and candidate for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2010
Mike Halligan, Executive Director of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and former State Senator
Denise Juneau, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Nancy Keenan, former President of NARAL Pro-Choice America and former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
John Lewis, former State Director for Senator Max Baucus (ran for the U.S. House)
Monica Lindeen, Montana State Auditor
Linda McCulloch, Secretary of State of Montana and former State Representative
Mike McGrath, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and former Attorney General of Montana
John Morrison, former Montana State Auditor and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006
Brian Morris, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana and former Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Stephanie Schriock, President of Emily's List and former Chief of Staff to Senator Jon Tester
Brian Schweitzer, former Governor of Montana
Kendall Van Dyk, State Senator
Mike Wheat, Justice of the Montana Supreme Court (ran for re-election)
Carol Williams, former Majority Leader of the Montana Senate and nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Montana in 2000
Pat Williams, former U.S. Representative
Whitney Williams, former Director of Operations for Hillary Clinton
Franke Wilmer, State Representative
Johnathan Windy Boy, State Senator
Because Walsh withdrew, a nominating convention was held to pick a new nominee prior to August 20. The state party called a convention for August 16, and voting delegates were members of the State Central Committee, specifically: "one chair and one vice chair from each existing county central committee; one state committeeman and one state committeewoman from each county central committee; all voting members of the State Party Executive Board; the president of each chartered organization of the Montana Democratic Party; Montana State House leadership, and Montana State Senate leaders, and all Democrats currently holding statewide or federal office."
Candidates
Momentary buzz was created by a movement to draft actor Jeff Bridges for the nomination, with over 1,000 people signing a petition on Change.org and a Twitter account, DudeSenator, being created online. Bridges, who lives part-time and owns property in the Paradise Valley south of Livingston, Montana, declined the offer on the Howard Stern show, noting the disapproval of his wife. Other news outlets noted that he also was not registered to vote in Montana.
Dirk Adams, rancher, businessman and former business law professor
John Bohlinger, former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Amanda Curtis, State Representative
Linda McCulloch, Secretary of State of Montana
Anna Whiting Sorrell, former director of the state Department of Health and Human Services and former state director of the Indian Health Services
Franke Wilmer, State Representative
David Wanzenried, State Senator
Jeff Bridges, actor and part-time Montana resident
Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana
Denise Juneau, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Nancy Keenan, former President of NARAL Pro-Choice America and former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Monica Lindeen, Montana State Auditor
Stephanie Schriock, President of Emily's List and former Chief of Staff to Senator Jon Tester
Brian Schweitzer, former Governor of Montana
Carol Williams, former Majority Leader of the Montana Senate and nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Montana in 2000
Susan Cundiff
Steve Daines, U.S. Representative and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2008
Champ Edmunds, State Representative
David Leaser, air traffic manager at Glacier Park International Airport
Corey Stapleton, former State Senator and candidate for Governor in 2012 (running for MT-AL)
Chuck Baldwin, Baptist pastor, radio host, Constitution Party nominee for Vice President in 2004 and for President in 2008
John Bohlinger, former Lieutenant Governor of Montana (ran as a Democrat)
Tim Fox, Attorney General of Montana
Rick Hill, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 2012
Krayton Kerns, State Representative
Marc Racicot, former Governor of Montana
Scott Reichner, State Representative (ran for the State Senate)
Matthew Rosendale, State Senator (ran for the U.S. House)
Denny Rehberg, former U.S. Representative, former Lieutenant Governor and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996 and 2012
Jon Sonju, State Senator and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2012
Larry R. Williams, author, commodity trader and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1978 and 1982
Ryan Zinke, former State Senator and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2012 (ran for the U.S. House)
Roger Roots, nominee for Secretary of State of Montana in 2012
John Bohlinger, former Lieutenant Governor of Montana (ran as a Democrat)
Sam Rankin, real estate broker (did not qualify)
