U.S. Senator
Steve Daines
Montana
RepublicanConservative
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 environment energy#3 other#4 defense#5 banking finance
207
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
0.59Conservative
Senator Steve Daines holds a conservative voting record that positions him somewhat to the right of the average Republican senator. His NOMINATE score of 0.589 indicates consistent alignment with conservative positions across most policy areas, reflecting traditional Republican priorities on economic, social, and regulatory issues.
LiberalModerateConservative
Republican avg
Near the average for Republicans (0.52)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
207
total votes analyzed
Overview
Steve Daines has served Montana in the U.S. Senate as a Republican, previously serving in the House of Representatives starting in 2013. His voting record demonstrates strong support for Republican policy priorities, with particularly high approval rates on agriculture (80% yea), budget measures (100% yea), and taxation (75% yea). In healthcare, which represents his largest category of recorded votes (109), Daines has voted in favor of measures approximately 52% of the time, suggesting engagement with the complex healthcare policy debates that have characterized recent congressional sessions. His environmental and energy votes show 70% support, which may reflect Montana's interests in natural resources and energy development. Daines's background as a businessman before entering politics appears to influence his approach to fiscal and regulatory matters. His voting patterns on banking and finance show more selective support at 43%, indicating he evaluates financial legislation on a case-by-case basis rather than voting in a single consistent direction.
Key Positions
- •Strong supporter of agriculture legislation, relevant to Montana's farming and ranching economy
- •Consistent support for budget measures that have come before the Senate
- •Generally supportive of tax-related legislation
- •Active participant in healthcare policy debates with mixed voting patterns
- •Supportive of energy and environmental measures at higher rates than some policy areas
By Policy Area
Healthcare109
52% yea48% nay
Environment & Energy23
70% yea30% nay
Other22
64% yea36% nay
Defense21
62% yea38% nay
Banking & Finance7
43% yea57% nay
Social Security7
57% yea43% nay
Agriculture5
80% yea20% nay
Analysis updated: January 9, 2026
Campaign Finance
Follow the Money
Includes all authorized campaign committees (principal committee, joint fundraising, and other authorized committees). Outside spending by Super PACs and independent groups is shown separately below. Verify on FEC.gov →
Career: $49.4M
Fundraising Over Time
Raised per election cycleSpent
Contribution Sources
Individual$3.0M
54%
PAC / Committees$2.4M
45%
Party Committee$62K
1%
Individual Breakdown
Itemized (>$200)
$2.3M
Small Dollar (<$200)
$646K
Donation Sizes
Under $200
$517K · 15%
$200 – 499
$76K · 2%
$500 – 999
$155K · 4%
$1,000 – 1,999
$565K · 16%
$2,000+
$2.1M · 62%
Share of individual contribution dollars by donation size, current election cycle.
Where the Money Comes From
In-state (MT)$483K · 15%
Out-of-state$2.8M · 85%
Itemized individual contributions only (donations over $200 report the donor's state). Small-dollar donations are not included because the FEC does not itemize them.
MT
$483K
TX
$453K
FL
$365K
CA
$354K
IL
$238K
NY
$231K
VA
$135K
CO
$93K
Top Contributors
Top Contributing Industries
Top Donor Employers
RETIRED$589K
NULL$186K
SELF-EMPLOYED$110K
SELF$106K
HOMEMAKER$85K
NONE$76K
INFORMATION REQUESTED PER BEST EFFORTS$74K
BLACKSTONE$57K
YELLOWSTONE BANK$35K
DELTA AIR LINES$26K
REYES HOLDINGS$21K
NOT EMPLOYED$19K
Employer as self-reported by itemized donors. “Not Employed” and “Self-Employed” typically rank highest for small-dollar campaigns and include retirees.
Where the Money Goes
Spending by Purpose
Other / Uncategorized
$1.6M
Refunds
$1.5M
Contributions
$409K
Fundraising
$345K
Administrative
$34K
Advertising
$10K
Transfers
$3K
Purpose categories are self-reported on FEC filings; large “Other” totals are common.
Top Payees
1.$533K
AMERICAN EXPRESS
2.$370K
ALME VICTORY
3.$257K
ELEVATED GROUP LLC
4.$194K
ENVISION MARKETING
5.$189K
S2R PUBLIC AFFAIRS
6.$95K
MAYBELL GROUP LLC
7.$95K
HIGHWOOD CAPITAL LLC
8.$84K
ALLEGIANCE DIRECT LLC
Detailed Breakdown
Expenditures
Operating Costs
$3.6M
Operating Offsets
$505K
Net Operating
$3.1M
Transfers
Transfers Out
$3K
Refunds
Individual Refunds
$1.0M
Committee Refunds
$643K
Outside Spending (Super PACs)
Supporting
$4.0M
Opposing
$79.9M
Total Outside Spending
$83.8M
Top Outside Spenders
01
$32.2MDSCC
-$32.2M
02
$30.5MSMP
-$30.5M
03
$8.2MLCV VICTORY FUND
-$8.2M
04
$3.0MMONTANA HUNTERS AND ANGLERS LEADERSHIP FUND
-$3.0M
05
$2.7MNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS CONGRESSIONAL FUND
+$2.7M
06
$2.0MEDF ACTION VOTES
-$2.0M
07
$1.7MEND CITIZENS UNITED
-$1.7M
08
$1.4MAMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES AFL-CIO
-$1.4M
Independent expenditures are made without coordination with the candidate. Source: FEC Schedule E filings.
Coverage: 1/1/2021 – 6/30/2026FEC: S2MT00096Updated: 8/12/2026Source: FEC.gov (all authorized committees)
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
146 votes across 13 categories