The problem is Democrats are rallying behind independent candidate Seth Bodnar, who they think actually makes that long shot a possibility. “[Republicans] know that if it’s head-to-head between Bodnar and Alme, Bodnar wins the damn race,” former Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who has endorsed Bodnar, told NOTUS. There’s a legal dispute, which lawyers briefed the state Democratic Party on, over whether the party would have to name a replacement for the party line should Bankhead quit. “Montana law says no matter what — [even] if I die — the state party still has to replace me on the ballot,” Bankhead told NOTUS. There has been a run of Democratic Senate nominees withdrawing to clear the path for a two-way race with an independent candidate.