Alani Bankhead

Alani Bankhead was raised in a military family and moved frequently as a child. She served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel. Her campaign biography says her assignments included counterintelligence work, human-intelligence operations in Iraq, command of a unit in Kuwait and a protective detail for a senior Pentagon official. After leaving active duty she led investigations and law-enforcement training in Latin America for an anti-trafficking organization, helped lead Operation Keiki Shield in Hawaii with the state attorney general's office, and worked as a federal supervisory special agent. She moved to Montana about three years before announcing her campaign and lives in Helena. Bankhead entered the Democratic race for U.S. Senate in early 2026 and won the June 2, 2026 primary over Reilly Neill, Michael Black Wolf and three other candidates. She faces Republican Kurt Alme and independent Seth Bodnar in the November 3 general election for the seat Sen. Steve Daines is leaving.