Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme won the Republican Senate primary in Montana, NBC News projects, putting the Trump-backed candidate in a strong position to join the chamber next year.

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Alme’s perch atop the GOP field came after a last-minute ballot switch with retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines. Daines, who is in his second term, told Semafor that he recruited Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board. Alme then filed to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrew his own candidacy, just a few minutes before the state’s filing period closed.

Daines said the move was designed to block a well-known Democrat from seeing an opening to run against a non-incumbent, potentially drawing tens of millions of dollars in outside spending to the state. But some Republicans also pushed back, accusing Daines of orchestrating a backroom deal that deprived other potential candidates of the opportunity to run.

Trump quickly endorsed Alme, saying he did so “based on Steve’s strongest recommendation.”

Montana has moved to the right in recent years, and Alme is expected to be in a strong position in November. Trump carried Montana by 20 percentage points in 2024.

But the state has had some hotly contested Senate races. They include the campaigns in 2024, when GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester by 7 points, and in 2020, when Daines defeated GOP former Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 points.

This year, Montana is not among the states that Democrats list on their potential path to the Senate majority, with more politically competitive states seen as riper targets. Democrats need to net four seats to take control of the Senate.

There is a well-funded candidate taking on Alme, but he isn’t a Democrat. Seth Bodnar, the former president of the University of Montana and a former Green Beret, has been pitching himself as someone who would not be beholden to either party.

Bodnar has tried to appeal to the state’s libertarian streak, noting on his campaign website that the government has “no business in your bedroom, your doctor’s office, or your gun cabinet.” Bodnar also told The New York Times that he would not caucus with Republicans or Democrats if he is elected.

Unlike in Nebraska, where the Democratic Party lined up behind independent Dan Osborn in the state’s Senate race, multiple Democrats filed to run for the Senate in Montana with their sights set on November.