Seth Bodnar

Bodnar was raised in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and says he was raised by two public school teachers and joined the military at 18.[2][7] He graduated first in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor's degree in economics and studied at Hertford College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar, earning two master's degrees.[4][7] In the Army he served as an infantry officer in the 101st Airborne Division, deployed to Iraq, and served as a Green Beret in the 1st Special Forces Group, commanding a detachment; he later taught economics at West Point.[2][4][7] He remained a lieutenant colonel in the Montana Army National Guard as of 2022.[7]

Bodnar joined General Electric in 2011 and became a senior executive in its transportation division, including as chief digital officer.[7][8] He became the 19th president of the University of Montana in January 2018 and led it for eight years.[4][2][8][7] According to his campaign, the university turned around enrollment, stabilized its finances, achieved record-high graduation rates and doubled its research output during his tenure.[2] The university settled a sex-discrimination lawsuit for $350,000 in 2024 that named him, according to Wikipedia.[7] He resigned the presidency in January 2026, shortly before announcing his Senate run on March 4, 2026.[3][7]

Bodnar's campaign says his wife, a pediatrician, is a fifth-generation Montanan and that they are raising three children; Wikipedia lists the family's residence as Missoula.[2][7] He said he ran as an independent because he swore an oath to the Constitution rather than to a party, and has argued that both major parties have failed Montana; Wikipedia reports he was last registered with a party in 2012, as a Democrat.[8][4][7] He filed on March 4, 2026, as an independent who said he would not caucus with either party.[1][2][3][4] He received 37.7% of the vote to Kurt Alme's 48.3%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[5]