Senate Pickup Watch

Montana Upset and Pappas Filing Reset the Senate Map

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 · 7 min

Senate Pickup Watch cover art

Montana Senate race dynamics shifted as Democrat Alani Bankhead’s surprise primary win set up a three-way general election, while Chris Pappas formally filed in New Hampshire against a GOP field led by John Sununu and Scott Brown.

Listen

Listen to the audio episode

Read the episode transcript

Show notes

Montana Senate race dynamics shifted as Democrat Alani Bankhead’s surprise primary win set up a three-way general election, while Chris Pappas formally filed in New Hampshire against a GOP field led by John Sununu and Scott Brown.

In this episode

  1. Montana Senate race takes shape — Daily Montanan

    Montana Senate race takes shape Jordan Hansen HELENA (Daily Montanan) — With music bumping in a backroom at the Rialto Bar, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alani Bankhead was pacing, in a little bit of a shock following her Tuesday night victory in the party’s primary. Bankhead, seemingly out of nowhere, won by almost 12,000 votes over Reilly Neill, who had been campaigning for the Senate…

  2. Seeking a promotion, Pappas says he's got a bipartisan record of achievement | State | unionleader.com — Union Leader

    Seeking a promotion, Pappas says he's got a bipartisan record of achievement | State | unionleader.com You are the owner of this article. Edit Article Add New Article You have permission to edit this article. Share This ### State Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., walks past supporters after he filed the paperwork for his U.S. Senate campaign at the State House in Concord on Monday. DAVID…

  3. Nebraska officials certify results for May 12 primary election that ran ... — Nebraska Examiner

    Nebraska officials certify results for May 12 primary election that ran ‘very smoothly’ • Nebraska Examiner ##### 16:26 ##### News Story - Election 2026 - Government & Politics # Nebraska officials certify results for May 12 primary election that ran ‘very smoothly’ ## Candidate field set for Nov. 3 general election, barring candidates dropping out or nonpartisans petitioning to be on the…