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Left Out Loud is a progressive political podcast breaking down the biggest stories shaping our democracy. From up-to-the-minute political news and midterm election coverage to in-depth interviews with grassroots Democratic candidates, the show spotlights the voices and movements fighting for real change. Smart, informed, and unapologetically loud, Left Out Loud pairs sharp analysis with humor and plain-spoken commentary, cutting through the noise to focus on what actually matters. If you care about elections, organizing, and the future of the Democratic Party—and you like your politics with a little personality—this is the podcast for you.
Seth, she's back.
Wow.
We have Alani Bankhead back with us.
We talked to her not long ago when she
was running in the primary for Senate
race in Montana, and now she is the
Democratic nominee for Senate in Montana.
Welcome back- Unreal … Alani Bankhead.
Oh my gosh.
Alani.
It's so good to see you guys.
Thank you for having me back.
Thanks for coming back.
You're a big deal right now, a much
bigger deal than you were the last time
we talked, although I think you're always
been a big deal, looking at that resume.
Um, Alani, congratulations.
Thank you.
It's been super crazy.
I don't think the shock has worn off.
It had to be.
Yeah, it's
been- So that's where I wanna start.
Like, okay, you won.
You are the Democratic
nominee for Senate in Montana.
Have… Has it sunken in yet?
Like, what are… Let's talk
about the emotional aspects first.
How are you feeling?
What was it like knowing that you won?
How did you celebrate?
Yeah.
What is the rollercoaster
you're on right now?
Oh, man.
So it definitely, definitely shock.
Yeah.
Um, because, you know, we'd always
said polls don't matter, money doesn't
matter, name recognition doesn't matter.
I mean, how many times in politics has
the underdog won and nobody expected it?
Yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
So we always said the people will
decide on primary day, and they decided.
They did.
And it still took me by surprise.
You know, even though I knew
we ran a really great campaign.
I mean, there's literally
nothing we could've done better-
Mm-hmm … for that campaign.
Um, and, uh, then like two days later
it really hit, the emotions hit and
it was just- Yeah … overwhelm.
Um, and I just had to self-care and
be really nice to myself that day.
Yeah.
But what I will say is, you know, a
really interesting thing happened, which
is- Um, so part of the reason why I
ran was because a friend of mine in the
neighborhood, her daughter ran for office
at her junior high school last year.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
And we would go on these walks,
and I remember being like, "Oh
my gosh, your daughter's running?
Like, that's so ballsy," you know?
And, and when I was thinking about
running, of course you think about
how hard it's gonna be, and I'm
like, "Well, this kid did it."
Yeah.
So if, if she did it and she had
the courage, like, I can do it, too.
Mm-hmm.
So fast-forward a few weeks ago,
um, I get a message from her mom,
and she's like, "A bunch of mean
kids ripped down her posters,
that she, like, can't did," right?
Like, normal political
stuff in junior high.
Yeah,
yeah.
And I… Right?
And I, like, I got all mama bear.
I'm like, "They did what?" You know?
Yeah.
So I, I s- I type up a note for her
on letterhead from the campaign, and
I was like, you know, I'm gonna call
her Susie, "Susie, I got into this
because of you, because you inspired me.
And, you know, sometimes people
do these things because they
feel threatened by you," right?
It's all these things- Yep … that
I needed to know when I was that age.
Yep.
And so we found out on Thursday
actually that she won her race.
Oh, that's so
awesome.
Wow.
Congrats.
So, so, yeah.
And I, I… Right.
And so I got these, like, little,
like, special, um, stickers for her- Aw
that were, um, Stranger Things-themed.
Like, it was just this thing that I
needed- Yeah … right in that moment.
And so hearing her win, actually I
was so overjoyed about that . Like, I
was… So I think it's just interesting-
Yeah … be- because it's easier for me
to really be overjoyed for someone else.
Sure.
And, you know, for me, it's like,
we gotta get back to work, you know?
Oh,
right.
Right.
Right.
No time.
So it, it was an interesting full
circle moment, and so I'm glad I
got to reflect the joy through-
Mm … someone else's win too, you know?
But-
That's so cool
…
um, but it's just really- That's
amazing … humbling all around.
It's really humbling.
Yeah.
We won by double digits.
We won by over 10 points.
Incredible.
For someone who was a no-name-
Yeah
…
that entered in January-
Well, they know your name now They
know my name now I mean, I, I saw
you popping up on national news
stories- Mm-hmm … talking about
how Montana may be flipping blue.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So they know your name now.
Yeah.
It really is incredible, Alani.
And, uh, I mean, you know, what I am eager
to find out is, from you, is what do you
think was, like, maybe two or three of
the most critical things that you guys
did to win this thing down the stretch?
I mean, obviously you're going 100% effort
on whatever your strategy is, but what do
you, what do you think was the difference-
Yeah, yeah
in, in doing that?
That's such a good question.
Um, so we've gotten feedback, and
we had a lot of press at the event
that night of the primary, right?
And we talked to them too, 'cause
they were at the polls all day.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And overwhelmingly what people said
was, "She's not an insider politician.
Um, she has a background of
having a backbone and protecting
the vulnerable, and we trust
that, and that's what we want.
We don't want someone who's bought and
paid for." Now, what was interesting
and r- very dramatic is, um, I think
the final numbers are there was close
to $4 million poured into just our
Senate race between two PACs that
were fighting for me and for, uh, the,
the second place person, basically.
Um, so the second place person
was the original front runner.
Um, the, Daines… So Daines
is the current senator that is
not running for re-election.
Yep.
His PAC started sending out ads about her.
Ooh.
Right?
Right.
And, and they were like, "She's a
socialist," like all these, like…
And even though I was like, damn,
she's getting more name recognition,
like I'm like- Mm … that's
how the cookie crumbles, right?
Yeah.
So out of nowhere this brand new
PAC comes in, it's called the
Progressive Veterans PAC, and they
start putting out glowing ads about
me, and it's all my platform items.
Oh.
Um, and so they were in a battle.
But it, it sucked because of course
people were like, "Dark money,"
and it's like neither of us have
control over what can come in.
We've done everything legally possible.
Right.
Right.
We've disavowed, right, all the things.
Um, so it hurt and, uh, helped both of us.
But what I will say that, you know, I
would be completely ridiculous not to
acknowledge it is those ads got my name
in front of people, and then when they
Googled me, then they were like, "Oh."
Right.
Like, "This is who we want," right?
So like definitely a, you
know, not the ideal way.
I, I ran a very clean race.
Yep.
I prefer to run a really clean race.
Um, and but, you know, I, like
we can't deny the reality of dark
money, which is why things like the
Montana Plan need to happen, right?
Like, I don't care who benefits.
Yeah.
Um, I don't care.
I don't want to benefit.
I don't want it in politics at all.
Um- So
how does that happen, Alani?
Like explain to us, we are
politically illiterate-
Mm-hmm … in terms of running-
Yeah
…
for office.
Yeah.
How does money get in?
How does, how are ads created?
Are you consulted in any of that?
Like- That's- Let us know- Yeah, yeah
how this works behind the scenes.
Yeah.
That's a good question.
Um, so the problem that we're seeing
with the PACs is, you know, originally
it was intended to be a good thing.
So for example, Moms
Against Drunk Driving.
Mm-hmm.
They want laws passed that
prevent drunk driving so their
kids aren't killed, right?
Sure.
So because there's individual contribution
limits- um, for individuals to contribute.
What they do is they create these, uh,
political action committees, right?
Mm-hmm.
The PACs.
And so you can donate to those PACs
separate from your individual donations.
Mm-hmm.
And then those groups will go to
DC and lobby and tell legislators,
like, "We want stronger laws to
protect our kids from drunk drivers."
Right.
So good people can do that
and bad people can do that.
Um, so there's PACs that want to
advance all kinds of nefarious things.
Like, you know, this is how the,
the 1% got all their tax breaks and-
Mm-hmm
…
we're destroying public lands,
you know, in favor of businesses
that don't care about anything
other than making money, right?
Right.
Um, and so on top of that, over time it's
evolved to where you can hide the, um,
original donor- Source … of the money.
Okay.
Right.
So, um, the FEC is the governing body
for all ethics for federal elections.
Yep.
And, um, a lot of the campaign finance
reporting was created after Nixon, right?
Mm-hmm.
After he got kicked out of office
be- or after he resigned, sorry.
Um, he resigned and, um, and what
they said was, they're like, "Moving
forward we have to have a system
so that it's very transparent
where the money's coming from."
Right.
So, like, every, every donation
over $200 you'll see the name,
like, their job, who they're
employed by, how much they donated.
So, um, now with these PACs, like,
one PAC can donate to another PAC can
donate to another PAC, and so it's
like- You can't follow the money anymore
kind of like laundering money.
You, right, you can't follow the money.
Yeah.
So you don't actually know who's
supporting who at the end of the day.
Ugh.
Um, and it, like, at the… The
problem, really the core is you
have billionaires that are now
funding this dark money funnel-
Mm-hmm … to influence your choice.
Vote.
Yeah.
Right.
And so I, like, we were getting probably
two to five messages a day of people
who were like, "You're a Republican
plant 'cause you're gonna work with
Trump on immigration." And I literally
had pinned at the top of everything, on
the webs- everything, where we're like,
"If you think I'm gonna work with Trump
on immigration, I've got oceanfront
property to sell you in Montana- Mm-hmm
because I'm not gonna do that.
Um, and I've pledged actually
to impeach Trump on day one.
Yeah.
And, but people will just
take the information at
face value and not research.
Yep.
Um, the other thing is, and this
drives me a little bit nuts, the
ads very clearly all say on them,
"Not coordinated by the candidate."
Mm-hmm.
Like, the candidate did not approve this.
You're not in there saying, "I'm Ilani
Bankhead and I approve this message."
Right,
exactly.
So is that the, is that the guardrail?
Is it, like, if you, if, if someone
does create an ad for you, for example-
Yeah
…
um, and it's an organization that
you feel- aligns with your values.
Mm-hmm.
And you could then go in and
say you approve the message.
That is sort of the cue to
us, the American public,
that, okay, Alani is in this.
She, she is okay with this.
Yeah.
Versus ads that don't have
that endorsement from you.
Correct.
Okay.
And, and so the other thing that's
interesting is the FEC rules say
we as candidates are not actually
allowed to coordinate with PACs.
Mm. It's illegal for us to do that.
So I can't even contact
them to tell them to stop.
Oh, wow.
So they will run their own ads.
But, but that's so fucked up, Alani,
because if it does turn out to be
dark money, you have no control.
You can't- Right … coordinate with them.
Right.
They could be running ads on your behalf
or potentially down the road against you.
Right.
And you are helpless as a candidate.
People could say, "Well, look, she took
this money or this money they donated
to making an ad for her" has nothing to
do with you, and you can't control it.
Right.
Nothing.
And, and A- and Ali,
that's their free speech.
Yeah.
Right.
Right?
Yeah.
Right.
That's their free speech, right?
Yeah.
Right.
You can't, you can't, you can't-
Corporations
are people
…
it's their free speech, you know?
What are you gonna do?
Right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So that's why the Montana
plan's really important.
Hawaii obviously just passed-
Yep … their version of it.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and, and you know, at the
end of the day, it's like you…
we don't actually know what would've
happened if those ads hadn't run.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but the, the truth also is
that my story is compelling, right?
Like- Yeah … I couldn't have won
with that amount of financial support
without the story of my background-
Exactly … and my profession.
So- Exactly … um, you know, I
mean, that's where we're standing.
And at the end of the day, I'm
still the Democratic nominee, and I-
Yep … won by more than 10 points.
Yeah.
So it's pretty handy, you know, victory.
Uh, so yeah.
Absolutely.
And- I mean- It- … you did that.
You did that thing, Alani.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
It was, it was awesome to see.
And I… so what, what was the
name again of the organization?
So More Jobs Less Government
is the Dane's, the GOP PAC.
Uh-huh.
And then Progressive Veterans PAC
was the one that wanted me to win.
Okay.
And I mean, I gotta say if, if, uh,
if somebody were to support me, and,
and especially in your instance as a
veteran, I would want a Progressive
Veteran PAC to, to be the one.
So,
I mean- But here's the problem.
Like Alani said, PACs donate to PACs.
So if tainted money- Yeah … makes
its way into that PAC, that
PAC then becomes tainted.
It's this weird- It's- … spider web.
You can't unravel it all.
Right.
Right.
And we do have the name of the guy who
provided most of the financing, and
I think he donated to Osas', um- Okay
campaign.
So like, like when we looked
at the information we had, he
looked like a good guy, you know?
Yeah, sure.
And, and the funny thing too is it's,
it's like- Being in politics now since,
you know, for five months, um, 99% of
all the rumors and drama are nonsense.
Yeah.
Like, complete nonsense.
So I'm like, you know, I've always said
if I was a millionaire, billionaire,
I would use my money for good.
Mm-hmm.
What if this guy is just
using his money for good?
I mean, I don't know,
right?
It's always a possibility.
Yeah.
Certainly I'm not, I'm not
trying to defame or- Yeah,
right … discredit him or that PAC.
Right.
I'm just saying the bigger issue is
if PACs can donate to PACs- Exactly
… bad money can get into good PACs-
Exactly
then that can be used against
you, or any other- Exactly
… candidate, and that's a shame.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And it is.
It is being used against me.
But, you know, like, and when
you're in the military, there's
stuff in your control, there's
stuff not in your control.
Yeah.
And I just, I've learned not to worry
about things that aren't in my control.
Like, people can believe
whatever they want.
Mm-hmm.
And I don't really care.
Uh, and especially, you know, speaking
of the drama, I mean, it's just wild.
Like, people are like, "Are you gonna
drop out?" And I'm like, "No." And they're
like, "But we heard you're gonna drop
out." I'm like, "Still here," right?
Um, and they're like, "Have you talked
to Tester or Bodner's campaign?"
And I'm like, "No." Like,
nobody's contacted us, I swear.
We are the most boring campaign
on the face of the planet.
Like, all these conspiracy
theories are not, at least
on our end, they're not real.
Um-
You're like, "Yo, it's
been, like, what, six days?"
Seriously.
I- Oh yeah, I mean, yeah, the
drama's been going on for like- Like,
calm down.
Calm down.
Tru- no, truly.
But, but it's an important year.
This is a make or break-
Yeah … year for democracy.
It absolutely is.
So, and you can feel
people are scared, right?
But what's in my control is what I can do
to help people alleviate the suffering.
I talked to a guy in another part
of the state the other day, he
had to pick between paying for
his life-saving EpiPen and food.
Ooh.
Right?
And, like, by the way, EpiPens expire.
Right.
So, like, it's like once every
three months he has to buy another
one, and they're 300 bucks a pop.
Ugh.
Right?
On what planet are we asking
people to choose between, like,
literal life and death things?
In America,
that's the
reality.
In America.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
And so that's what matters to me.
That's the stuff that we focus on.
That's why we're fighting.
So even though there's all this noise
happening over here- Mm-hmm … we're
just gonna keep on keeping on.
Love it.
It's a great attitude to have.
Because things are going to get
exponentially more challenging now.
That spotlight is gonna get
bigger and bigger and bigger.
Do you feel that?
Do you feel like, "Oh, it was kind of nice
when I was running for the primary," but
now it's like… Does it feel more real?
Does it feel scary?
I know it probably doesn't to you-
Yeah … because you're you, but-
Yeah
…
I can imagine it has to be-
Yeah
a new reality almost overnight.
No, you know, I mean, it is different, um,
but we knew that this was gonna happen.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and I mean, I don't want to,
like, r- I hate to be like, "We
knew we were gonna win." I mean, of
course- Right … the human part of
you is like, what if we don't, right?
But I j- like, this was a calling, and
this was something internally that I was
like, as long as we're doing the right
thing for the right reasons, like, no
matter what happens, we're gonna be good.
Mm-hmm.
And the message resonated.
Yeah.
I mean, it resonated.
I got a note from a friend.
She's like, "I was in therapy
today, and 85% of the conversation
was my therapist being over the
moon that you won." Oh my God.
Her husband being over the moon that you
won, them telling their college daughter
about you, her telling her friends.
Like, these are the messages that
we're getting privately- Yeah … where
people are like, "We have hope,"
because you… And, and actually,
um, we don't use AI for the campaign.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but someone else did, and they
posted it on one of our posts.
And it was like, "Alani Bankhead
is inspirational. She has a plan,"
and like, and I was like, yes.
Like, if that's what AI is saying- Yeah
… about me, I'm like, we're doing exactly
what- Yes … what we intended to do.
And so- You know, the thing
about Montanans especially is
they can be loud about things.
Like a few of them will be loud online.
Mm-hmm.
But they're gonna do what they do
in private- Yeah … and they're
not gonna tell people about it.
Yeah.
And clearly they came out in the polls.
They sure did.
Um, so, so that's… You know,
we're just gonna keep beating
that drum moving forward.
It's about not having a
bought-off DC insider.
Mm-hmm.
And it's about someone who wants to
do the right thing for the people
and genuinely, like, not here to
make money for my business or- Yeah
increase my portfolio or whatever.
Um, you know, at the end of the day, even
if we lose, like, I'm gonna sleep real
good because I went for it and we ran an
amazing race, but we're gonna win- … in
November.
Oh, I know you
are.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, 'cause people are just pissed
off and- Yeah … fed up and, um,
and they're tired of the drama.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And, and speaking of November,
uh, you're, uh, you are running
now against a guy named Kurt Alm.
Kurt Alme.
Alme.
Mm-hmm.
Don't, don't, don't- Mm-hmm … don't,
don't come for me, Kurt.
Don't send your boys after me, all right?
Anyway, Alani, like, so h- obviously
you pivot to a new opponent.
Um, what do you know about this guy?
Yeah.
Uh, have you k- been keeping
your eye on him as you've been-
Mm-hmm … uh, running this race?
Yeah.
So actually there's three other opponents.
Um- Okay.
Yeah.
So we've got Kurt Alme,
he's the Republican.
Yeah.
We have, um, Austin
Kyle is the Libertarian.
Mm. Oh.
And then we have an independent,
Seth Bodner, which is really
interesting because nobody, no
independent has ever won- Mm-hmm
as far as I know statewide in the state.
Um, so Alme was attached to the drama.
So it made national news
right before filing deadline.
Five minutes before, Steve Daines,
the incumbent, scratched his name
off the list, and Alme joined
two, like, two minutes later.
And it came out later… Like Alme
said himself to reporters, "Yep, he
and I sat down and we talked, and
we decided we were gonna do this.
That way nobody else could
enter the race." Right?
So they- Dirty.
Dirty, dirty, dirty … super dirty.
Super dirty.
Dude.
And, and they, you know, uh, prevented
the people of Montana from having-
Having a choice … full choice in-
Yeah … who their person was gonna be.
Um, there were two other people
running against Alme already.
Um- And they didn't win the primary.
Alme won with 75% of the vote,
which I thought was interesting.
I'm like, "Oh, for the handpicked
Trump-backed guy- Mm-hmm … you
didn't get 25% of the vote."
Mm-hmm.
Right?
Hmm.
So, um, so that was really interesting.
And then Kyle Austin's a libertarian.
He's a pharmacist.
Um, I've met him a few times.
He's an interesting character.
Um, and then we've got Seth
Bonner, the independent.
So he was the president
of University of Montana.
He's, he was an Army Ranger.
Um, so it's int- it's fascinating
to me because He just settled a sex
discrimination lawsuit at the University
of Montana with over a dozen women.
Ugh.
So, so it's funny because- Oh … I'm
like, I'm like, "Guys, we're in the
Epstein era. Like, of all the people, I
know we're a small state by population,
like, over a million people, you
could've picked anybody. Why would
you pick somebody with any whiff of
anything- Right … like that right
now?" Mm. Um, but, uh, s- there's…
Jon Tester's backing him.
Uh- Okay … he's, uh, so there's some
texts were leaked, um, earlier this year.
He's pretty pissed at the, at the
Democratic Party- Mm-hmm … the state.
So Tester and Schumer are supposedly
backing Bodnar in his bid.
Oh, yeah.
Interesting.
Very dramatic.
Very dramatic.
And-
The same Bodnar that has
all of the sex allegations?
Yes.
Yeah.
And Schumer, the Chuck Schumer?
The Chuck Schumer.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I
know.
Well, that's, that's a
little bit of breaking news.
Not surprising.
Yeah.
I know.
So it's, it's really funny because,
you know, I think it just goes to show,
like, there's all these forces at work.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
And what we always say is you have
billionaires, you have powerful
people, and they have money and
power, but they don't have people.
Yeah.
We have people.
Yeah.
And that's what we're
saying- And you can't
buy that
…
you cannot buy that.
You can't
buy that.
You can't.
And that's, that's been the thing, right,
um, I think we talked about theory mode
last time- Yeah … where I'm like the,
we're in this phase of can we do this-
Mm-hmm … with the people of Montana?
It's not just us as a campaign.
It's with the people of Montana.
Right.
And the more, like, the more
we meet with folks, the more
encouraged and inspired they are.
They're able to see their true power.
And I'm like, you can, you will
lose your power if you give it away.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
And, and so it's been really inspiring
seeing people wake up to their own
power and say, "You know what?"
Mm-hmm.
"I do matter." And actually true
leadership is the opposite of
what power screams leadership is.
Mm-hmm.
And if I'm humble and I feel like
I'm not quite worthy, then I'm
probably right on track, right?
And I'm gonna do my little bit.
Absolutely.
And, and so that's,
that's what we're doing.
And we're still a grassroots campaign.
Listen, and don't get me
wrong, I'm not stupid.
We need money.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
Yes.
So people, send y'all money.
But- Yes.
Um, but, like, the money will show up.
I mean, I've done crazy,
miraculous… Not me.
Like, the miracle was not me.
Like- Right … it was
done through me, right?
But the primary was a miracle.
Like, we didn't- Yeah
we raised $26,000 and we won.
Why, that is- A Senate primary on-
…
that is insane.
Right.
And it was as a nobody who came in- Mm-hmm
… that had no political experience.
Not a nobody, an unknown.
An un- thank you.
Thank you.
But, um, and that was really humbling.
You know?
Like, um, I can't remember if I told you
guys, but we were out in a very rural
part of the state, um, people telling
us they're shocked that I'm there.
Mm.
And this man slipped me a $5 bill,
just, like, handed it across the table.
And- I could tell this man
did not have those $5 to give.
Yeah.
But he believed in what we were building,
and I was just like, "Ah." Like, you know?
I mean- I, I
mean-
It just meant so much … hold
on to all of that, right?
Yeah.
You just have to hold on to all of
those acts of kindness and support- Yes
because things can get crazy.
Yeah.
Um, y- as you have said, there's
so much drama behind the scenes-
Yeah … and it can get really messy-
Yeah … um, and probably disheartening.
So I hope you have, like, just a
box tucked away- Yeah … in your
head of all those great memories
to carry you through all of the
challenges that you're gonna face.
Yeah.
We do.
We do.
And, um, you know, I've
got o- other things.
We got t- uh, t- two $5 donations
from some little kids at, at a- Oh.
… a home fundraiser.
I love that.
And I was like, "This is so cute."
I was like, "I have to give it back
though 'cause it's illegal-" Right.
"… 'cause you're not 18." You know?
But, but yeah, like, you know, to
have kids just be like, "I love
what you're doing, and I wanna give
you my allowance money" Amazing
you know?
I'm like- Amazing … but I made sure, I
was like, "FEC, I gave it back" You know?
Yes.
But-
Yes
…
um, but you know, but then it's
interesting too, um, the drama that's
come out of the party after that.
You know, the party is, um, a,
a kind, a little bit divided.
It's like the OGs- Yeah … and then,
like, everybody else that's fed up.
Yeah.
So yeah.
There's a lot, there's a
lot wrong in our party.
There's a lot-
Mm-hmm
…
there's a lot of contention in the party.
Mm-hmm.
I, I talked to somebody last week
and I asked him this question.
I'm gonna ask it to you now
that you're the candidate.
I've never asked it before him.
Might have to, like, kinda
sprinkle it in once in a while.
I don't like to repeat questions if
I can- Sure … if I can help it.
Sure.
But as the insurgent candidate, I g- I
guess you're still considered insurgent
even though the incumbent is not running.
Um, how, how do you avoid becoming
the thing you're running against?
Such a good question.
I was talking to someone else
about this the other day, right?
'Cause it's like you need the money.
Mm-hmm.
Like, right?
I mean, Jon Tester's one of the backers
of the Montana Plan, and he acknowledges
he had to take dark money, or he thought-
Yeah … he had to take dark money, right?
Um, and, and don't get me wrong, like
I am used to making calculations.
I mean, I'm a counterintelligence agent.
Mm-hmm.
We're taught about risk versus reward.
Yeah.
And is it worth it, right?
I mean, I would make risks on my life
where I'm like, "Is it worth it to die
if I could get this in- information?"
Mm-hmm.
And we make those same calculations,
but every time I just, I always arrive
to, we just can't become like them.
Yeah.
You know?
And we have to demonstrate that
we're not going to be like them,
and that means a much tougher road.
But I think what we're feeling in the
ether is people wanna know it's possible.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
A- and to be honest, I- When I was younger
going through my career, I was pretty
terrified most of the time just 'cause
my imposter syndrome was really loud.
Yeah.
Like, I'm like, "Who?" I was like,
"I'm in the middle of Iraq getting-
I get that … intelligence," where
like I was just… It was crazy.
Mm-hmm.
But I see now all of that
was preparation for now.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and I'm, I'm not scared to die,
which makes you very dangerous.
You know?
It
sure does.
Yes.
Um, yeah.
So I'm like, "What are you
guys gonna do, kill me?"
Like-
Yeah
… "
go ahead," you know?
Right.
Um, by the way, we got our first
death threat, and- Oh, already?
Did I, did I tell you… Yeah,
it was actually a few weeks ago.
Did I tell you my husband
was a bodyguard too?
No.
Yeah.
So we met in bodyguard school.
When, when is
the movie gonna come out about you
and your husband and your lives?
I know.
I need that movie.
It's
so crazy.
So we met in bodyguard school.
Um, we didn't get married until, like-
Of course you did … much later.
But, um, so I text him the death threat,
and I come home, and he's in the gunroom.
I'm like, "What are you doing?" And
he's like… He pokes his head out.
He's like, "I've been waiting
for this my whole life."
Like, like if- … if Kevin McCallister
and K- Oh … and, and John Wick had a
baby, it would be my husband right now.
Oh, my
God.
So
he's like- That's such an image … he's
like, "I wish somebody would do something
to my wife. Like, I wish," right?
Oh.
Um, so you know, but going back to your
question, you have to be really clear
about who you are and what you stand for
and what you're willing to give up for it.
Yeah.
And I've been reading a lot on, you know,
um, a- Abe Lincoln and John Lewis- Mm-hmm
… and the civil rights movement, and Jon
Meacham's a really great historian.
Love him.
Like, gives a lot of hope.
I love him so much.
Yep.
And-
Heather Cox
Richardson, another one who I really,
uh- Heather Cox.
Oh, yeah, of course.
Yeah.
HCR, of course.
Yes, yes.
But, um, but the themes
are always somebody has to
sacrifice the ultimate thing.
Yeah.
And we've already had that.
Look at Minneapolis.
Mm-hmm.
And look at, you know, the immigrants that
are being killed in these prisons, right?
Yeah.
Um, and non-immigrants too, but all
that to say, um- I, I think I told
you guys about the podcast episode
I did with the Black Hawk Down guy.
Did I tell you that?
I don't remember
if you told-
Oh my gosh, okay … maybe.
No.
H- really quick, um, so I did an
op one time in Iraq where there
were three suicide vest bombers.
Um, and I got, uh, long story sh-
it w- I got this call from a source.
M- I, I knew my boss would not approve
me to go, but I just went anyway.
Mm-hmm.
And, like, r- I'm in the car with
my interpreter, I was like, "If this
doesn't work, I'm getting fired.
Like, they're gonna send me home."
And we got the intel, we passed it
to special ops, they neutralized
the three suicide vest bombers.
Fast-forward, like, I don't know, what,
almost 15 years, I'm on the, the podcast
of one of the Black Hawk Down guys.
His name's, um, Jeff Struecker.
Okay.
Um, he was played in the
movie and everything.
Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah.
Um, and he was like, "Oh my God, was it
this, like, information, and was it this
loca-" And I was like, "Yeah." He's like,
"I actioned that mission." And- What?
… he's, he's credited on the Black
Hawk, uh, Down mission as being
the most calm and collected- Mm-hmm
out of all the operators.
And when they asked him why, he was like,
"You have to decide where you're gonna
go after you die before you get on the
battlefield." So, so we've already decided
what we're willing- Mm-hmm … to die for,
and democracy's on the line right now.
Yeah.
So I'm not gonna become the monster.
And, and that doesn't mean
I'm not gonna mess up, right?
But we're… I'm never
gonna take dark money.
I'm never gonna get bought off.
Mm-hmm.
That's just not who I've been,
and that's not who I'm gonna be
now, and we're gonna prove it.
And if we lose, then, like, at le- you
know, we, we died trying, kind of thing.
But yeah.
That's a great answer.
Yeah.
I mean, I couldn't ask for
a better answer than that.
Yeah.
I'm gonna let Seth have the
final question, because I don't
wanna hold you up too much.
Your whole life just went-
No, it's all good
…
woo, crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
And so I'm a, I'm, I'm a numbers guy.
That's just, uh, that's
just the way it is.
And so I nerd out on the numbers.
Um, uh, lots of, uh, Republicans
obviously in the state of Montana,
but when you add the Democrats to the
independents, it's more than Republicans.
So really and truly Montana is a toss-up.
Yes.
And you, and you, you, you, you're
pretty independent yourself, so, uh,
I, I think that you're somebody who
could reach out to, to the people
who are kinda sitting in the middle.
Um, you know, what do you, what
do you think about, uh, about your
chances, and, like, what do, what
do you think your strategy is?
Do you think you just kinda scale up
your strategy, what you've been doing?
What, what do you, what do
you wanna try to do- Yeah.
Yeah … to reach the, the
middle and the independents?
Yeah, no, of course.
We gotta look at the numbers.
Yeah.
Um, we ran the numbers too, and what we
came up with was if every person that
voted for me… By the way, I got the
most votes out of any Democrat in the
primaries- Wow … uh, for, for Montana.
Ever.
We were called… We were c- we…
I don't know about ever, but- Okay
um, but for this year.
For this, for this season.
And we were the first race to be called.
We were the first race to be…
It w- It was called very quickly.
But, um- Mm … uh, so in terms of moving
forward, we… what we figured out was
if every person that voted for me gets
five people to vote for me, we will win.
Oh,
wow.
Now, of course that include,
that doesn't include all the
Democrats that didn't vote for me-
Mm-hmm
…
which I'm not saying all of them are
gonna vote for me, but good chunk should.
Yeah.
Right?
So, like, we basic- a- and remember,
25% of the Republicans that
voted didn't vote for Kurt Alme.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
And so, um, and the guy that they did
vote for was basically a Democrat.
Like, all of his talking points,
I'm like, "Why are you running
as a Republican?" Mm-hmm.
Um, really nice guy.
But so all that to say, I think
realistically if we get it down to
if, if everyone who voted for us gets
two people- I think people are like,
"That's doable. I can totally- Yeah,
yeah … fit two people," right?
Um, so that's our strategy with the
numbers, and then we're, we're gonna
scale up the current plan as we have it.
We've got some initiatives coming
out that we're really excited about.
Um, you know, the The people want
to be unified behind somebody.
We've heard that over
and over and over again.
Sure.
And we've got some pretty
strong initiatives, I, I'll
reveal them another time- Mm-hmm
that we're gonna be announcing-
Great … um, that are bipartisan, that
everybody should get behind, and we're
gonna see Montana's true colors come
out, I think, through these initiatives.
And, um, you know, I, I have nothing
to lose at the end of the day.
Yeah.
Uh, a lot of folks are, you know, they,
there's a theory that I'm gonna drop
out to make way for the independent.
That has happened in other states, but
in Montana the bylaws say for the state
party even if I die, even if 10 of me
die, they're still gonna hold a convention
and nominate someone else, so there's
always gonna be a Democrat on the ticket.
Okay.
Um, so it's funny because, again,
educating people, when they're like,
"Drop out," I'm like, "No, and-
even if I did, like, it wouldn't
matter because- Right … there's
gonna be a Democrat on the ticket.
So the only way to not split
the vote is for the independent
to drop out, so go talk to him.
Mm. You know?
Um, so yeah, it's, it's
really fascinating.
There's a lot of factors, and
politics is pretty nasty, but- Mm
um, I've dealt with Al-Qaeda
and pedophiles and traffickers,
and- Oh, you have the
stomach for it, Alani, for sure.
Yeah.
I'm,
I'm not worth with them.
No doubt about that.
Yeah.
So, okay.
Congratulations.
Yeah.
We really- … wanted to have you back
just to say we're so happy for you.
And also we wanna keep that
momentum going forward.
We want to stay connected.
We wanna get your message out
there, and we want you to win
the Senate race in Montana.
I think you will.
I really strongly feel
that you're going to.
Um-
No, I think we will too.
The, um, it's funny, the Americans
for Prosperity, that GOP PAC, s-
they notified GOP senators last month
that the Senate seat is at risk.
So if, if we're on the, the game
board of, like, "You're, we're, you
know, I am here"- Yeah … it started
with, "This chick is never gonna win"-
Mm-hmm
…
nobody knows her, to now
we've won the primary.
Yep.
The seat's never gonna flip,
and oh, now it might flip.
So-
I saw
a news- … Montana.
I saw- You're at risk … a news
article that came out, I don't know if
it was the night of your primary and
I saw it the next morning or it came
out the next morning, and it was…
You know, I was, a, 'cause I had fallen
asleep and I was like, "Oh my God,
Alani, did she win? Did she win?" And,
you know, so I'm googling that and
instead of just seeing that you won,
I saw this article that, oh, you know,
Montana might be f- flipping bl- it,
it is possible, it is within grasp.
To flip Montana blue
Yes
And I was like, "Oh, she won,
she won, she won, she won."
Yep.
Yep.
So we're gonna keep doing the thing.
A- and you guys, thank you for your
platform, thank you for your advocacy.
This just means the world
to me- Yeah … and my team.
And for the listener, you are way
more powerful than you realize.
Mm-hmm.
Um, these amazing humans are offering
their gift to save our democracy,
and you can offer your gift.
If you wanna offer it
financially, alani4mt.com.
Um- Thank you for
mentioning that.
Yeah.
Yes, yes.
Alani4mt.
But no, thank you.
You guys are incredible, and
I'm so thankful for you both.
Well, I just feel like we're
friends, and you're stuck with us.
Oh, yeah.
Um, and I wanna keep talking
to you, and I wanna bring you
back, especially as we get…
First of all, I want you back
when you're ready to talk about-
Mm-hmm … those initiatives.
Mm-hmm.
And then right before we get to
the actual midterm elections-
Yes
…
I just, I want you to keep coming back.
We're so, so excited for you.
Alani, I wore a blouse.
Like, I don't wear blouses on the pod.
Look, look at Ali all dolled up.
Ooh.
I've got, like, puffy sleeves.
Nice.
I wanted to celebrate.
This is an occasion.
Yes.
Um, and we just love you,
and we're so happy for you.
No, you guys- S- We're ride or die.
Yes.
I love y'all too.
You're amazing.
Thank you.
Yeah.
We heard it.
Thank you.
All right.
Alani4mt.com.
Go, go, go, go.
The
Democratic candidate.
We
can actually… Yes, we can
actually flip Montana blue.
For Montana, baby.
Let's go.
Chip in.
Alani, we're gonna see you soon, I hope.
Yes, you will.
All right.
Thank you so much for coming back.
Hot damn, Ali.
Alani Bankhead, the Democratic candidate
for Senate in Montana, and- Yes … you
know, we, we had her just a, a, what
seems like just a few weeks ago, 'cause
I think it was just a few weeks ago.
It was
just a few weeks ago, yeah.
And, uh, you know, to have her back,
she was gracious enough to come back.
And I mean, this is… It was
really amazing to talk to her.
Obviously, her life
has changed completely.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, but she seems very confident.
Yes.
Uh, and you know, she's… And
she's dangerous to, to Republicans.
And, uh- And
Democrats … and she said it.
She said it And Democrats alike,
because Chuck Schumer is gunning
for that independent candidate.
We heard that here.
You heard that here first.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So not all Democrats are your friends.
Yep.
Going for the independent Mr.,
Mr. Middle of the Road more,
just more middle of the road.
Is he-
Just another, you know,
s- s-
fence sitter
for America.
He's a Democratic leader
pushing for the independent.
Like, wrap your head around
that This is insane Gross.
Gross
Gross Unbelievable So, um, so she's
gonna need all the help she can get.
Alani4mt.com.
We can turn Montana blue.
That would be a huge thing.
And not to mention selfishly, would
be kinda great to have a, a senator
as a friend that we can bring on and
talk about things that are happening
behind the scenes in the machinery
of DC, and I know Alani will do
that for us because she's amazing.
She's real.
Um, she's in this fight for
the right reasons, and I'm just
so excited to see what- Yeah
happens for her in November.
Yeah.
I mean, she's… She could, uh…
she could change things completely-
Mm-hmm
…
uh, in Montana as we know them, you know?
Yes.
Just a few weeks ago she described
to the people of Montana… They were
saying, you know, "Uh, we like our
weed and we like our guns." Yeah.
So these are not your typical-
No
everyday Americans, and you cannot
for those reasons count Alani out
in a place- Mm-mm … like Montana.
It's a, it's a real wild card, and,
you know, in that part of like the
Northeast, you know, you just kinda-
Northwest
…
figure the ro- the… Pardon
me, the, the Northwest.
You figured that like that's just
gonna be Republican territory.
But now it's at risk.
You heard her say it.
It's at risk.
Mm-hmm Pretty cool
And with her background, I mean, I can
see why she's being embraced by Montana.
You know, the military background,
the intelligence background.
She's no bullshit.
But again, like you
said last time, so kind.
Yeah.
It's such an amazing thing to be
able to hold all of those qualities
at the same time, and she's
just something really special.
Alani is just once in a lifetime special.
Yeah.
And can't wait to see how
this race turns out for her.
Me
too.
I mean, that exit polling that she was
telling us about too, like that was
really, that was really good to see.
Yeah.
So I mean, it… I, I think it's on,
and I think we'll… So this won't
be even, you know, the, the second,
the third, the fourth time or the
last time that we speak with Alani.
'Cause I mean, I'm so excited.
Uh, I know you are.
Yeah.
I mean, you, you wore the blouse.
I wore the blouse.
You wore the blouse.
I dressed up.
Just look.
'Cause I felt like celebrating.
I had to celebrate Alani's win.
Yeah, yeah.
Totally.
Um, yeah.
All right.
We've got like two or three
more interviews this week.
Um, kind of a busy week.
Great candidates.
Some you may have heard of
before, um, and some you may not.
And I hope that you stay tuned 'cause
people like Alani are running all
over this country and, um, it's time
to pay attention to these progressive
grassroots candidates, y'all.
They're making waves and we love it.
We're here for it.
That's why we're here.
Yep.
So I will see you- Those big beautiful
waves.
Yes.
Yes.
Ride those waves.
Go Knicks.
Boo Trump.
Yeah.
We're, we are recording
this, uh, on a Monday.
Yeah.
It's the third game of the series.
They're up two.
Trump is shutting down New York City so
he can get his big fat head in there.
Everybody hates him
for
it.
Everybody hates him.
I… And, and we have just enough time to
check out the booze, so let's go do that.
Yeah.
And I will see you in a couple days.
All right.
Bye.