Billings U.S. Senate Candidate Forum: Alani Bankhead and Kyle Austin (Oct. 18, 2026)

Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin take questions from the moderator and the audience at the U.S. Senate candidate forum in Billings, Oct. 18, 2026. The forum focused on the environment, including Montana's constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. All four candidates were invited; Kurt Alme and Seth Bodnar did not attend. Hosted by Steve Held and Last Best Voice, with the Billings Climate Coalition, at the Lincoln Center auditorium in Billings. Moderated by John Martin of KULR-8 / NonStop Local. Video courtesy of Last Best Voice's livestream. Thank you to the hosts and to everyone who came out. Chapters 0:00 Welcome 1:21 Montana's most pressing challenges 5:55 A clean and healthful environment 8:06 Climate, tourism and agriculture 13:48 Affordability 16:15 Where the candidates agree 18:51 Audience questions: education 23:40 Health care 29:17 Building the workforce 33:44 Homeless veterans 38:00 School shootings 42:08 Climate policy 46:14 Closing statements Where Alani stands: https://alaniformt.com/positions Get involved: https://alaniformt.com/get-involved Chip in: https://alaniformt.com/donate #Montana #MTSen #AlaniBankhead #Billings #ClimateAction Paid for by Friends of Alani Bankhead. The use of military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.