EXCLUSIVE: Dems polling Steve Bullock for Senate in Montana; source says plan underway to push Bodnar and Bankhead out of the race

A connected Montana political source provided the Washington Reporter with a poll of Montana voters testing former Governor Steve Bullock (D., Mont.)’s strength as a Senate candidate. Two sources tell the Washington Reporter this survey shows Democrats are planning to not only force Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead from the race, but to also pressure the embattled Seth Bodnar—the independent candidate—to withdraw.

Montana Senator Steve Daines previously defeated Bullock by 10 points amid a raft of allegations about Bullock mishandling sexual harassment issues, an issue that Bullock publicly apologized for. In 2020, Bullock similarly announced his challenge to Daines right at the filing deadline.

The Washington Reporter obtained a poll from “research-opinions.com,” a group that has previously been affiliated with Democratic campaigns, showing a survey testing how Bullock would perform against Republican nominee Kurt Alme. 

Bodnar’s campaign has come under fire in recent days for sexist attacks directed at Bankhead as well as a sexual discrimination lawsuit the University of Montana was forced to settle for $350,000 while he was President. 

“Seth thought he could bully Alani out of the race with social media attacks, but it appears to have backfired,” said a Montana political operative. “Seth’s exit from the race appears imminent now that Schumer and Tester’s crew are throwing him under the bus for Bullock.”

As for Bullock, he has remained conspicuously silent on the Montana Senate race, refusing to publicly back Bankhead or Bodnar. 

If Schumer and Tester successfully swap out Bankhead for Bullock, Republicans plan to aggressively target his past issue of mishandling sexual harassment issues. Senator Steve Daines (R., Mont.) has said that Bullock has “‘Pattern of Hostility’ Towards Women.”  

Bullock covered up the fact that his aide, Kevin O’Brien, had been fired from his job at the Democratic Governors Association after being accused of sexual harassment. O’Brien went on to be accused of sexual harassment by two additional females while working for then-New York City mayor Bill De Blasio.. Blasio, as reported by the New York Times, criticized Bullock’s handling of the sexual harassment claims. The Times reported that Bullock refused to answer questions about his handling of the sexual harassment issue: “But the governor, who has been considering running for president in 2020, has refused to be interviewed and would not respond on Wednesday to questions, including why he did not tell city officials about Mr. O’Brien’s sexual harassment case.”

In 2020, the Daily Caller reported that Bullock himself was accused of having “inappropriately touched a young woman at a Democratic governor’s gala,” a claim that Bullock denied. 

One Montana Republican political strategist told the Reporter they would be excited to run against Bullock again.

“Seth Bodnar’s cover up of sexual harassment issues is nothing compared to Steve Bullock’s major problems in this area,” the strategist said. “We would love to run against that creep again.” 

The strategist also told the Reporter he believes Schumer and Tester are not supporting Bankhead despite her support from the Montana Democratic Party because they do not think a woman can win in Montana. The strategist further said Schumer and Tester would come around if Bankhead ultimately does not drop out. 

“At this point it seems like Schumer and Tester would even support Jeffrey Epstein for Senate over Alani Bankhead because she is female. At least Epstein was a man,” the strategist told the reporter. “But the reality is they will be forced to support and spend big money for her if she refuses to buckle to their strong-arm tactics.”