Libertarian Candidate Calls Native Peoples 'Pets', Native News Online Says

Montana Senate Debate Erupts After Libertarian Candidate Calls Native Americans “Pets”

During a maternal health forum in Billings, Montana, Libertarian senatorial candidate Kyle Austin referred to Native peoples as “pets” while addressing stark disparities in maternal mortality rates between American Indian and white residents, Native News Online reported. The remarks, delivered on Friday, October 23, 2026, became part of the state’s contentious U.S. Senate race.

“If someone is a pet of society, they will always be a pet of society in the future, and that is why you have to change how you vote. Because the far left has always kept you a pet of society and dependent on the federal government,” Austin stated during the forum, specifically targeting Tribal citizens in Montana.

Austin is one of four candidates vying to replace retiring U.S. Steve Daines, a Republican. The crowded field also features Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, and independent Seth Bodnar.

Video Controversy and the Democratic Primary Aftermath

The fallout intensified late Friday evening when Bodnar published a social media video appearing to show Bankhead laughing shortly after Austin delivered his answer.

“I’m appalled and disgusted. Tonight, the Libertarian candidate called Native Americans ‘pets,’ and the candidate on the Democratic ticket, Alani Bankhead, laughed along. Both should be ashamed. These comments are degrading and dehumanizing, and they have no place in Montana or anywhere else. Native Americans deserve respect and dignity, and I will ALWAYS stand with them,” Bodnar wrote in his post.

The Bankhead campaign swiftly disputed Bodnar’s characterization of the event. According to campaign representatives who pointed to the organizers’ full livestream, Bankhead was not smiling while Austin used the phrase “pet of society.” The smile captured in Bodnar’s cropped clip occurred seconds later and stemmed from a casual conversation between Bankhead and Austin that had carried over from before the forum. Bankhead’s team explained that she had not been listening closely at that exact moment and mistakenly believed Austin was saying “dependent”—the central theme of his policy answer.

Once fully briefed on Austin’s actual words, Bankhead condemned the statement outright. In a statement provided to Native News Online, she called the comment “wrong and reflected a serious misunderstanding of tribal sovereignty and the federal government’s relationship with tribal nations,” adding that “Friendship doesn’t mean agreement.” Her campaign noted that just two minutes prior to the exchange, during the same forum, Bankhead stated that “the federal government does not respect brown people” and pledged to make restoring tribal health care a top legislative priority.

Deep-Rooted Outrage Over Political Rhetoric

Tom Rodgers, a Blackfeet Nation member and longtime Washington, D.C., advocate for Native American and Tribal issues whose spirit name is “One Who Rides His Horse East,” expressed deep indignation over the incident. Rodgers told Native News Online that Austin’s comment fits into a recurring pattern of disregard and hostility he has witnessed throughout his life in Montana politics.

“We have been called drunks by a politician and former soldier during the last election. We have been denied sacred polling locations by another politician. We have been told that Indians need to stay out of federal elections by another politician. We are now called ‘pets’ by another politician,” Rodgers said.

Shifting Dynamics in a Crowded Senate Field

Despite the controversy, Austin remains a minor factor in polling data, registering at just 2% support in the latest Quantus Insights poll. Meanwhile, the broader contest has devolved into a bitter intraparty conflict among Democrats, with several prominent figures bypassing Bankhead to support independent candidate Bodnar.

Bodnar, a former University of Montana president and Green Beret, has secured endorsements from former Democratic Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus, alongside former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Supporters of Bodnar argue he presents a viable cross-party appeal to moderate Republicans and independents in a state where Republicans have dominated statewide elections. This friction dates back to the June primary, where Democratic leaders urged Bankhead to withdraw in favor of consolidating support behind Bodnar, fueled partly by questions regarding campaign resources and outside conservative super PAC spending.

In the latest Quantus Insights survey, Kurt Alme leads the field with 46% of the vote. Seth Bodnar follows with 29%, Alani Bankhead stands at 21%, and Kyle Austin trails at 2%.