Shortly after Kurt Alme was installed as Steve Daines’ replacement candidate in Montana’s Senate race, the American Leadership Fund, a Daines-aligned super PAC, began running TV and radio ads in support of Alme’s candidacy. According to recent reporting from Public Domain, the American Leadership Fund has a history of funneling money to groups that are looking to sell off public lands.
American Leadership Fund gave over $1 million to American Freedom Inc., a policy shop founded by Mike Pence that called for the federal government to “sell or donate millions of acres of federal land” and supported Mike Lee’s failed attempt to sell public lands. Though Alme has voiced his support of protecting public lands, he is being bankrolled by organizations that advocate for policies that the vast majority of Montanans are adamantly against.
“Kurt Alme talks a big game about protecting public lands, but he has entirely failed to put his money where his mouth is,” said Gus Nathanson, spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century. “Alme’s financial ties to groups that want to sell off public lands prove that he is uninterested in honesty, transparency, or the best interests of Montanans.”
Read more about Kurt Alme’s ties to organizations that want to sell off public lands.
- Shortly after Alme entered the race, the American Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Daines, began running ads touting Alme as someone who would fight for President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies in Congress, including “protecting Montana’s way of life — our public lands, our guns, our conservative values.”
- In 2024, the American Leadership Fund gave $1.35 million to Advancing American Freedom Inc., a nonprofit policy shop founded by Mike Pence. In its policy agenda, titled “American Freedom,” Advancing American Freedom calls for the federal government to “sell or donate millions of acres of federal land to the states.”
- Advancing American Freedom also voiced support for Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s controversial and failed attempt last year to sell off millions of acres of public lands under the guise of combating America’s housing crunch.
- Alme has repeatedly voiced his support for public land protection. At a campaign event last month in Roundup, Montana, Alme told a crowd that “we need to continue to protect public lands and private property,” without elaborating. And in a social media post last week, Alme wrote that he is “so grateful for our public lands!”
- Montana’s Republican congressional delegation was widely credited with blocking Lee’s sell-off scheme from making it into last year’s sweeping budget bill. The recent shakeup in Montana’s 2026 elections — the last-minute withdrawal of Daines and Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke from their respective races — has raised questions about whether the so-called “Montana firewall” against federal land disposal will survive the midterms.
- Montanans deeply oppose federal land sales and transfers. A survey released last month and conducted by the University of Montana found that 84% of Montana voters support a ban on the sale or transfer of national public lands.
Published: May 29, 2026 | Last Modified: Jun 8, 2026