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Hugin

2026 candidate · follow the money

Who funds Seth Bodnar?

Montana U.S. SenateIndependentFiled for an open seatFEC S6MT00287
Compare the whole race →Results in Montana ↗Search Hugin records ↗FEC filing ↗

The money.

Seth BodnarFEC filing: Seth Bodnar · S6MT00287 ↗
Raised
$4.9M
Spent
$4.3M
Cash on hand
$581K
  • Individuals 97% $4.8M
  • PACs & other committees 3% $163K
  • Party committees <0.1% $2,500
  • Other receipts <0.1% $2,634

Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026.

Outside groups: $141K supporting · $972K opposing ($890K of it designated for the general election)

Biggest spenders supporting

  1. MONTANA FREEDOM PACSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $134K
  2. MONTANANS FOR PUBLIC LANDSSuper PAC $6,069

Biggest spenders opposing

  1. MORE JOBS, LESS GOVERNMENTHybrid PAC (super PAC account)Spent mainly in primaries $962K
  2. LEADERSHIP IN ACTIONHybrid PAC (super PAC account)Spent mainly in primaries $10K

Largest direct PAC contributions

  1. MAX'S PACPAC with no sponsoring organization $10K
  2. NARRAGANSETT BAY PACLeadership PAC of John F. Reed $10K
  3. TREASURE STATE PACLeadership PAC of R. Jon Tester $10K
  4. LOBO PACLeadership PAC of Martin Heinrich $10K
  5. NO LABELS PACMembership group PAC $10K

Who gave.

Who gives $4.8M from individuals

15% in small-dollar gifts

$727K of $4.8M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.

The itemized gifts below add up to $2.7M of the $4.0M the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.

33% from Montana · 67% from elsewhere

Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.

48% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.

Top states

  1. Montana $888K
  2. California $554K
  3. New York $269K
  4. Massachusetts $165K
  5. Washington $129K
  6. Colorado $89K
  7. District of Columbia $82K
  8. Maryland $53K

Top employers named by donors

  1. STANFORD UNIVERSITY $20K
  2. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA $15K
  3. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA $11K
  4. WALKUP MELODIA $8,500
  5. WALKUP MELODIA KELLY & SCHOENBERGER $7,000
  6. APPLE INC $5,500
  7. MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY $4,250
  8. AMAZON $4,000
  9. BUCHANAN CAPITAL $1,582
  10. HARVARD LAW SCHOOL $1,500

Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.

Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $1.6M. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $1.0M, not listed so no one donor is singled out.

Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Feb 27, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (2,412 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗

From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.

Outside money in the final weeks.

Outside spending including late reports: $12M for / $2.0M against · $1.7M in the final two weeks

That is $13M more than the $1.1M in regular reports alone. Source: FEC regular reports plus 24- and 48-hour reports they do not yet cover. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.

$220K of the $14M on late reports was filed as an estimate. A 24- or 48-hour report is due within a day or two of the spending; the spender's later regular report carries the final cost.

What it bought, per the late reports

  • TV, radio & streaming TV 32% $4.4M
  • Digital ads 8% $1.1M
  • Ads, medium not stated 35% $4.7M
  • Mail, print & signs 20% $2.7M
  • Phones & texts 1% $133K
  • Canvassing & field 4% $504K
  • Ad production 0.7% $98K
  • Other or unclassified 0.3% $48K

Largest late spenders for

  1. INDEPENDENT PAC $7.3M
  2. MONTANA FREEDOM PAC $4.1M
  3. MONTANANS FOR PUBLIC LANDS $82K
  4. AB PAC $81K
  5. WILD MONTANA ACTION FUND $48K

Largest late spenders against

  1. MORE JOBS, LESS GOVERNMENT $2.0M
  2. LEADERSHIP IN ACTION $10K

Latest dissemination on these reports: November 1, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (113 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗

Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.

Where it went.

Where the money went $2.2M in itemized spending

These itemized payments cover $2.2M of the $4.3M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.

  • Advertising & outreach 8% $183K
  • Consultants & strategy 7% $147K
  • Staff & payroll 9% $196K
  • Fundraising & processing fees 38% $833K
  • Polling, research & data 2% $35K
  • Travel, meals & events 2% $44K
  • Office, technology & overhead 2% $49K
  • Legal & compliance 33% $717K
  • Other or unclassified <0.1% $936

Largest payees

  1. ASCEND DIGITAL STRATEGIES $668K
  2. GROUNDSWELL CONTACT $278K
  3. GUSTO $196K
  4. UPCARD $188K
  5. BALLOT ACCESS MARKETING, LLC $125K

Paid to individuals: $137K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.

Payments dated Mar 9, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (492 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗

Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.

Others who filed for this seat.

Questions worth asking.

Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.

FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.