by Guest Writer | Jul 31, 2026 | Elections, Guest Articles, Politics
Guest Post From David Sirota, Editor of The Lever
You literally have no idea who is “electable”. Stop pretending you do, and stop thinking you should calibrate your vote on who is “electable” rather than on who is pushing good policies that would help you and your community.
A flippant note from a political science professor reminds me of something I want to reiterate now and basically in every election cycle for the rest of my angst-ridden life: There is now an entire cottage industry of media elites, academics and aspiring online “influencers” who market themselves the all-knowing Understanders Of Electability™ — and who work to convince you, the Democratic primary voter, that you should condition your votes on candidates’ “electability”….when in reality, literally nobody knows who is “electable” and who isn’t.
Most of these purveyors of “electability” have never in their entire lives deigned to once do the difficult unglamorous work of actually toiling in politics or on a political campaign — and yet they waive around polls and pitch themselves as modern-day oracles. They are the political version of Jim Cramer, often flagrantly wrong and yet indefatigably confident.
That’s actually what they are selling – confidence, or really, a con game. They sell the idea that Democratic primary voters should be pundits who vote not for their own interests, but who vote for some mythical idea of “electability” that these elites alone determine…even though we’ve been shown over and over and over again that nobody has any idea who will be “electable.”
This class of geniuses told us that a freshman senator named Barack Hussein Obama could never be an “electable” candidate for president.
They were so convinced that Donald Trump wasn’t “electable” that they cheered when he won the Republican presidential nomination, and insisted there was no possible way he could win a swing state like Michigan.
Most recently, they sold the idea that Kamala Harris was the only “electable” choice for president, that she was running a “brilliant” campaign — and that her corporate centrism was working to win her the White House.
David J. Sirota is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, a reader-supported investigative news outlet focused on exposing the negative influence of corporate corruption on American society. He was a speechwriter and senior adviser for the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign. Sirota served as a senior strategist for Brian Schweitzer’s unsuccessful 2000 Senate campaign and successful 2004 gubernatorial campaign.
For more biographical information check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sirota
by Ken Toole | Jul 24, 2026 | Independent, Politics
Just when you thought Montana’s U.S. Senate race was about as strange as it could get, we find out Seth Bodnar is now working with former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. Manchin is best known as a hostage-taker and dealmaker during his years in the U.S. Senate. Over the years, he angered many in the Senate by holding up legislation and cutting deals to get what he wanted. Among other things, he faced scrutiny over his financial ties to the coal industry. Manchin owned a coal brokerage business that paid his blind trust $500,000 per year while he was serving in the Senate. He resigned from the Democratic Party and became an independent shortly before leaving the Senate in 2024.
CNN is reporting that Manchin is forming a group to promote independent candidates across the country. The new group, the Independent Leadership Council, held its first meeting on July 23 in West Virginia. Manchin says he will head the group along with his daughter. Seth Bodnar attended, along with only two other independent candidates: Kevin Kiley, a former Republican now running as an independent in California, and Iowa congressional candidate Michael Bridgford.
Manchin’s daughter, Heather, a former pharmaceutical executive, will be leading the effort alongside her father. In 2023, she founded a group called Americans Together, which has also been promoting independent campaigns. Also in attendance at the meeting with Bodnar was Adam Brandon, a former Tea Party leader and president of FreedomWorks, a conservative political organization that closed in 2024. Another person attending was Seth Cohen, former Chief Impact Officer at Forbes Media and now working for the Independent Center.
As a clearer picture of Bodnar emerges, there is plenty to be concerned about. Taking his cues from someone like Joe Manchin is definitely a warning sign.
by Guest Writer | Jul 10, 2026 | Democrats, Guest Articles, Independent, Working Class
Guest Post From Gallatin County
Joe Hancock, the Gallatin County Democratic Chair and President of the MSU-Bozeman chapter of MFPE-FOCUS #8521 was born and raised in Big Timber and served in the U.S. Air Force before returning to Montana. He is committed to strengthening relationships, finding common ground among urban and rural communities, and reestablishing Montana Democrats as the party of the working class.
Multiple people have asked me if the Gallatin Democrats would consider supporting Seth Bodnar, the independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, since Jon Tester has declared that a Democrat can’t win in Montana. I do not support Seth Bodnar’s candidacy. The mission of the Democratic Party is to support Democratic candidates for office.
Democrats across Montana are already struggling for resources to help local candidates after the consulting firm composed of former Democratic Party staff, Fireweed, pushed financial support to losing Republicans during the primary. Seth Bodnar is soaking up political donations that will be wasted on another destructive top-down campaign while county and state government candidates are left out in the cold.
Democrat In Disguise?
Seth Bodnar is trying to gaslight Montana voters, masquerading as an independent while actually being a milquetoast moderate Democrat. Despite characterizing himself as “building a different kind of campaign—powered by people who are done sitting on the sidelines and ready to fight for the kind of leadership Montana deserves,” his actions tell a different story. Seth Bodnar’s campaign is funded by prominent Democratic donors, endorsed by Democratic partner organizations, and operated by former Democratic Party consultants.
These consultants are unironically branding the Republican nominee in this race as “Washington’s hand-picked insider candidate, backed by the same partisan interests that have spent years ignoring working families.” Seth Bodnar was hand-picked by Tester and dodged a primary where he would have had to compete with stronger candidates to earn Montanans’ votes.
The Choice of An Aging Establishment
Seth Bodnar has not been focusing enough on Montanans. Instead, he has been hosting fundraisers in cities like Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Atherton, CA. His money comes from donors that know nothing and care not about what Montana’s working families need or deserve.
Seth Bodnar is the face of a new Know-Nothing Party led by his benefactors, Jon Tester, Max Baucus, and Marc Racicot. These retired politicians were relevant in a time when our state was stuck in a meaningless middle that ignored rural communities and alienated the voters who live in them.
A Uniparty State For The Future
Some hope that Seth Bodnar’s candidacy will lead to the end of the two-party system in Montana. That would only happen if the resulting fragmentation of progressive voters allows Republican power to galvanize, effectively making this a one-party state for the foreseeable future.
