Steve Daines

Steven David Daines ( DAYNZ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since 2015. He is the first Republican Class II senator from Montana in 102 years. Daines represented Montana's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015.

Daines was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Bozeman, Montana. Before entering politics, he held positions at Procter & Gamble and the Montana-based software service RightNow Technologies. After an unsuccessful lieutenant governor's race in 2008, Daines was elected to represent Montana's at-large congressional district in Congress in 2012.

Daines was elected to the Senate in 2014, becoming the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in Montana in the 21st century. He was reelected in 2020, defeating the Democratic nominee, incumbent governor Steve Bullock. In 2023, Daines became chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, succeeding Rick Scott. Republicans gained four Senate seats in the 2024 election cycle and won a majority in the chamber. Daines became Montana's senior senator and dean of Montana's congressional delegation in 2025, after Jon Tester was not reelected.

On March 4, 2026, minutes before the filing deadline to run for the Senate in Montana, Daines unexpectedly announced he would not run for reelection in 2026.