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Montana Senate Race: She Refused to Drop Out · Breaking The Meta

• Mike Winson: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Breaking the Meta. My name is Mike Wins, and today we have a friend of the channel back after a long time after she won her Democratic primary, but finally back after. She's got 46 days left that she that she's got to that she has before the general election. Her name is Alani Bankhead. She's running for Senate in the great state of Montana. Hello, Alani. How are you doing, my friend? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Hello, brother. It's so good to see you again. Mike Winson: Are how how are you doing? Are you still on your feet in general? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Gosh, yes, we're on our feet. I am on fire. I say it's a privilege to be this tired because the fight is so good, Mike. I mean, it is frustrating on a strategic and a tactical level, but you know, right when you've reached the end of your rope, you have a conversation with someone like the lady in Butte last week, who I'd actually seen her at an event in Anaconda. And I could tell she was feeling me out, you know? And after the event, there's a line of people. She very patiently waited. And when she got to the front, she said, I have a seizure disorder. I can't Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: work because of it. And my Medicaid got cut and my medical bills are going up. And I just wanted you to know that. And I mean, she didn't ask for anything. She just wanted me to bear witness to her story. And I mean, that is how Montanans are across the state. They are humble people, they don't complain, but they want a fair government that works for them. And when I hear those stories, I mean I get chills just talking about it. The fire gets lit in the biggest way. And we just keep Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: going. So yeah. Mike Winson: it's it's been a little bit since this happened, but there was some pretty big drama in in your race. after for those of you that may be new to to Montana, you because Montana is not usually in the headlines, but you definitely were for a little bit. So there's the Republican candidate, and then there's you who won the Democratic primary. And then what is it four hours before the cutoff for for joining in, Seth Bodner joined in as the independent. And I've as we were getting close to like the week before anyone could pull out of the race, there was a whole thing going on. People were telling Bodner that they should pull out. Bodner was trying to tell you that you should pull out. Everyone and their mother decided that they had an opinion on what you should do and what everyone should do. what was it like going through a situation like that? And because obviously, as someone who cares about our democracy, you there is that. There's an obvious desire to win. There has become this new thing, especially in those like northern Midwest territories of independence being the, you know, the nominees and Democratic candidates dropping out. What what was going through your head when this was all going on? And and why did you end up deciding to stay in the race eventually? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah, so much drama. well, and I think Mike Winson: Ha ha. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: actually to answer your question, we have to start at the very beginning of all of this, which was, you know, I come in the race in January, and everybody and their mother's like, you can't beat Danes, nobody can beat Danes. why would you run in this race? And our filing deadline in Montana is in March. And so five minutes before filing deadline, Danes drops out. And Kurt Almy puts his hat in the ring. And so effectively Trump and Danes handpicked the successor and robbed Republican voters of their choice. so that was a big part of it. And then fast forward to so in Montana, you can get signatures to end up as an independent on the ballot, which is what the independent has done. And there's all kinds of drama with that though now, because apparently there was an insane level of fraud, fraudulent signatures, and there's a criminal investigation now, and it and it's not just the Senate race, Mike Winson: my goodness. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: it's the second congressional district independent as well. Mike Winson: Really? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: so there's even more drama with that. And so in Montana, the deadline to drop outs before the ballots were printed was August 10th. So All of a sudden, now this independent's in the race, and there's all this pressure because the Democratic vote is split allegedly with this independent being in the race. by the way, this happened four years ago in the second congressional district. Like no independent has won a congressional race in Montana. And so there was a lot of pressure put on me to drop out. And and keep in mind that the independent is backed by a small group of OG Democrats from the state party, including John Tester. Mike Winson: Yep. Yep. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and so what we have since learned is that the Democratic Party, national party, basically decided that there were a certain number of red states that could never be won. And so they decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater in those states, and they hatched this plot to push the Democrat. Aside in favor for this independent in under the belief that red states would vote for those folks more. Now, there were some, there was one state. So Nebraska was the prototype for this, but Nebraska was very transparent. So Nebraska, the Democrat said, if I win, I'm gonna step aside for the independent, which I'm totally fine with. I think that's transparent. You're telling people what you're gonna do. So people have informed consent on how they want to participate in that. I Montana is the only state left standing. All the other four states the Democrat dropped, including in South Dakota. that candidate. Mike Winson: Yep. Who I interviewed him. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Isn't he great? Yeah. And and Mike Winson: He is great. I'm I'm so sad he dropped out. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: I'm so sad he dropped out. He was super staunch about it. And then allegedly, right? Not allegedly, his house was set on fire. Allegedly. Knows what's happened. Yeah. yeah. so I mean 'cause he was threatened too. And so Mike Winson: Because I I actually heard from him about a week before he dropped out talking about interviewing him again. And then I found out he dropped out. That's crazy. I didn't know that happened. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. yeah. It made national news like and I mean it's all under investigation, right? But Mike Winson: Wow. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: super crazy. And so there was this big pressure campaign. So there's obvious dark money coming into this race. There has been from the beginning. And what the FEC filings have shown is this very deep. rabbit hole and crazy plumbing of there's about seven major super PACs that are funneling money into this race. They all have the same treasurer. Mike Winson: Of course they do. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: of course they do. and everything's basically backed by billionaires or tech companies. and so there was a super PAC that backed me called Progressive Vet Pack in the primary but and by backed me, they spent money on me. I disavowed it from, you know, it was just, it was terrible. but then after the primary, they put out this whole press release. They're like, Alani's candidacy isn't viable. We're dropping out, we're taking our money to, I think they said Florida or something. They didn't, they dissolved. And then in the last FEC filing, so since the primary, the the one backer of that pack has donated directly to Independence campaign. And then the treasurer of that pack has co-hosted fundraising events for the independent. So it's just flipping hilarious. But all that to say to answer your question, I didn't drop out because democracy. you have a Republican that handpicked their person, which is Kurt Almy, and he's backed by Trump, which is very undemocratic. And if I had dropped out, then it meant that the Democratic machine could handpick their legislative candidate, which, you know, 48,000 people voted for me. And it it's really crazy to me how, you know, people will will say, like, you need to drop out. And I'm like, let's talk about all the legal reasons why that wouldn't work. in Montana, the law says that Republicans and Democrats have to have a candidate on the ticket. So if 10 Democratic Nominees dropped out, they'd still have to submit a Democrat. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Our governor, the entire administration at the state level is Republican. So they're not gonna just roll over and let the Democrat drop out and not split the ticket. Like they want a split ticket. So they're gonna Mike Winson: Yeah. Right. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: fight with the party, right? and so there's a lot of legal reasons why I wouldn't do that anyway. Not to mention the fact that, you know, I will say it was funny, Mike, because They talked about this pressure campaign and it's emails and letters. Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And I was like, that's really cute. have you been shot at before? No, like that's real pressure. You know, have you Mike Winson: Yeah. Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: have you stood between a child predator and the child that they've been abusing? And you're the one that if you screw up, the kid continues to get abuse. No, like that's real pressure. So your little letters don't do anything for me. Mike Winson: That that that's actually I was thinking about that while you've been talking. As someone who has, you know, hunted terrorists and child sex predators and all these other things. What what does it feel like to be in this new in this new kind of world where, you know, Arguably there's some equally bad people, just in a different way, but the way they come at you is is in many ways different than what you are used to experiencing. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: You know it's funny. I had a buddy from headquarters from when I was in the military. He just happened to be flying through Helena for some work stuff. And, you know, I caught up with him for a few minutes and he asked me the same question. And I was like, headquarters at Quantico prepared me really well for this because it's all backstabby and crazy. And so, you know, we had a good laugh about it because I'm like, if you've ever been a federal agent in the federal government, like you're very well prepared. For Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: the shenanigans. I will say I have been mildly entertained at Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: the juvenile kind of strategy and antics Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: that go into it. Like I kind of just expected them to be more on top of their game. but it's really bad. I mean, some of these other campaigns, when we look at them, we're like, you're a shit show. You just have more money to be a shit show with. You know, I mean, it's Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: It's hilarious to actually watch it, you know, the inner workings of the machine. and and you know, of course it's politics. So people think they can guess what's gonna happen, but I think Mike Winson: Of course. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: that's the beauty and the fun of it is you won't know until people vote. Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And so you know, people wanna they spend a lot of time spewing a lot of hot air and a lot of words and a lot of ideas trying to manipulate the vote. But Montanans, we have a rich history of. Millionaire, billionaire class folks trying to buy congressional seats and polluting Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: our land and corporations like just raping the environment here. And Montanans are not having it this time around. And they're Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: standing up to AI data centers. Like one person got one turned off in this town called Bonner. There's another one fighting in Yellowstone County. and Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: so it's ri been really cool seeing Montanans remember who we are as a state and say, No, we're not gonna allow this. So that's kind of where we're at is the voters get to decide and we'll see how it plays out in November. Mike Winson: And obviously, as someone who's not in Montana, seeing the the more national level news regarding what was going on with the whole with this whole independent coming in and trying to get you to drop out, what has been the response as you've been going around like how How have the people of Montana been reacting to this, to to being on a national stage in a way that they're probably not used to, but also to, you know, these calls for you to drop out and then this independent trying to come in and all this other stuff? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah. gosh, that's a good question. it's defin I mean, certainly kind of a mixed response, right? I mean, you have a lot of people that are really up in arms and they're like, we're Montanans. We don't like being told what to do and we don't like to be manipulated. I mean, this is I think one of two states where you can open carry a gun without a permit and buy marijuana legally. Like Montanans very much are you do you and you let me do me. And it's a very purple state. Mike Winson: Yeah. Hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And so on one hand, you can see people kind of chafing at the political drama. It's been interesting seeing the response nationally because the state party, I mean, it's been tough for the state party as well. We have an amazing executive director who came from Pennsylvania at the beginning of the year. And I mean, it took a lot of emotional, psychological, physical capital for us to get through August 10th. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And you know, the party stood with us, which I'm really thankful. They didn't have to, you know, they could have ditched us and but they wanted to support democracy as well. And it's been interesting nationally, the commentary, the phone calls, the messages we get from national figures where they're like, Thank you for standing up for democracy. Thank you for not dropping out. you know, no matter what happens, you know, nobody can take the fact away from me that I've got some big brass ovaries, right? and so I think there's a much bigger conversation happening about how democracy is going to move forward in light Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: of the manipulation and the power moves and yeah. Mike Winson: So I do want to bring this up because this is pretty cool. one of one of the things that was brought up about you a lot was the amount of money and stuff that you brought in. People always thought that it wasn't. I read that today you received you were officially endorsed by the National Organization of Women. Is that correct? Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah. Mike Winson: so that's awesome. I mean, that's that That is something that I mean, obviously getting endorsed is really is really great and and an organization like that is also something that that we're all about. We're all about getting women in in positions of leadership on this podcast, especially. So congratulations. And Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Thank you. Mike Winson: how does it feel like for people that don't experience it, what it's like what is it like in in the like what was it like when you heard that That they were going to endorse you. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: You know, the topic of endorsements is such an interesting one that I I kind of wrestle with because my whole career I I wasn't endorsed by the powers and the status quo. So I I've been so used to doing the mission without the endorsements of the powerful. Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and you know, I think that also plays into the national conversation is seeing how many organizations actually are also bought and paid for by the machine and the billionaire class. And, you know, the and most or all of them start at that grassroots level, right? Like just really great intentions. And then it becomes a business. And that's it's not right, wrong, indifferent. It just is what it is. and so it was always weird from the beginning of, well, go try and get these endorsements. I'm like, why? Like I, you know, I I've just never operated on that level. And Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: but What the now endorsement means to me actually is it is important to partner with organizations whose values I really align with, not just to say, like, look at all these endorsements I have and all the people who I love. Like the mission that they have is legitimately what I've been fighting for my whole career. And so Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: to have people on that level that are in the same fight as me say. We see you and we also align with you, that means so much. I mean, beyond way beyond the politics. And so that felt really good only from the alignment perspective, because the thing with our campaign is we want it to have a heart of Montana, which is a very community focused, family freedom, hard work, common sense, values-based system. And I've never been a sellout. Montanans aren't sellouts and we're not gonna sell our souls, you know, for anything. And so it meant a lot, but it it has been interesting. I've learned a lot about myself and the process and and and what's most important is staying in my integrity and the campaign Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: staying in integrity. Mike Winson: So it's been a long we've had you on other episodes, but it's been a long time since our initial interview when you were still running in the primary. It's been, gosh, probably six, seven months at least since since we talked, which it doesn't feel like it's been that long. This year has flown by. What has anything changed? So it's a two-part question. Has anything changed? in those like six or seven months in what people of Montana have been talking to you about or is it very similar? But also from like your perspective, has do you feel like your race, your message, whatever has has altered because of your experiences over the last, you know, seven months since the last time we talked? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: people's conversations have shifted a little bit. I think in the beginning, obviously the the conversation was who the hell's this chick? You know, because I came out of nowhere. And Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: which it's funny because I've learned in politics there's all these conspiracy theories and rumors always floating around. Just it's really insane. And so of course there's all these theories of my favorite theory from the beginning was that I was recording. Recruited back in 1992 from West Point to be a plant in this race because the independent went to West Point in, I think, starting in 97. It was just some insanity. Like I was like, you guys really think I got recruited when I was 10 for a Senate race, you Mike Winson: Jeez. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: know, in a state that I'd never set foot in when I was 10 years old. It's just freaking hilarious. and so But of course, people are trying to understand who am I? Which is a Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: really valid question. and and it's interesting to observe that conversation shift over time because part of the issue with the state party, well, and I'll say previous senators that were in office was that they didn't have any successors. So there Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and that according to the Republicans, they told the press, they were like, We did the switcheroo, it's called right before filing, so that no well-known Democrats would jump into the race. We wanted to make sure that that didn't happen. And so to have a no name come in, you know, it's funny because talking to me, when people ask, I'm like, it's a government of the people, by the people, for the people. It's regular Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: people. You know, if you if you want to run for office, you can run for office too. And name recognition is important, but I saw an emergence need. And I'm decided to take action, and that's why I'm in office. And so it it is a little bit tiring, I will say over time, seeing the misogyny that plays in, right? Like, like I've been accused of stolen valor, even though I've probably put out more about my military record than pr probably any candidate in the history Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: of Congress at this point. and yeah, just some of the things that you have to put up with as a female running. I'm like, hi, is really it's Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: 2026. Why are we having this conversation? You know? and so that's just a little bit tiring, but for the most part, I mean, people are really excited. They're like, she's not bought and paid for. They tried to buy her in the primary, it didn't happen. she fights the Epstein class, she's put the Epstein class in jail before. She has all these qualifications, right? So there are people who are really excited about my candidacy. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And that's one thing that's really different. there were several people I had talked to in the midst of this independent versus Democrat conversation, and and they'd gone to somebody who was on the independent side initially, and they're like, name one person who's excited about that guy. And they're like, Well, I can't. And they're like, exactly. Now name someone who's excited about Alani. And they're like, all these people are excited about Alani. So the big argument with the independent is he has the money, and that's what is going to allow him to beat the Republican, which is hilarious to me because John Tester raised the most money out of any candidate in congressional history and the most expensive race in congressional history two years ago, and he lost. So Mike Winson: And he's still lost. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: having all the money doesn't actually mean anything. And we're in the midst of dark money insanity. I mean, we have the Montana plan that's on the ballot this year for Montana. Nobody wants dark money in. So when people say he has more money, I'm like, that's dark money proving its point. You know? So you Mike Winson: Yeah. Well, and Alani Bankhead, D-MT: need to Mike Winson: it's it's not only like, you know, the whole thing with Tester two years ago, but even right now, in places like Florida, I forget what the district is where the candidate won the the the primary, it was the primary, but still raised a tenth of what the other candidate raised and and won by a lot. Like it was it wasn't even close. So You know, this is definitely a year that if you that if you do it right, money money has no meaning and or at least has less meaning. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Right, right. No, I completely agree with you. And I mean, you do need money, right? Like you gotta pay for gas, you gotta pay for hotel rooms, you gotta pay staff, that kind of thing. Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: But but to your point, people are really pushing back on this idea. I mean, Florida, Angie Nixon, right, I think is the example you were talking about, El Said in Michigan, Taylor Remett in Texas. I Mike Winson: Yep. Yep. Yep. Colorado. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: mean, i i it it's been insane watching the conversation nationally of APAC and all these. Super PACs and dark money coming in trying to manipulate. And there was this really great quote on the Michigan race where they're like, APAC came in and bombed Michigan with a 40 to 10 or something. And they're like, and the people of Michigan got up, wiped the soot off their face, and still voted for him. You know? And I was Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: like, yeah, that's exactly what it felt like. Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: So, so yeah, it it and and that's what the machine's scared of, right? The machine is scared that. If candidates like me aren't beholden to the money, then it it indicts them for taking the money and they don't Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: want that. And I I totally believe part of pushing me out had less to do with the independent and more with we don't actually want a chick who's gonna put handcuffs on Epstein people and not be bought and paid for by the corporate class. Like we don't want that. So Mike Winson: Okay. I did have I think I we talked about before we started that I didn't have a ton of like hard, hard things, but but there was one and it was more for it was more a having I wanted to give you a chance to say it in another spot. I'm sure you've talked about it in other places. So there was a whole spiel and a whole hug hubble b hubbabaloo. I can't even use words. That came out about you and a and a quote that you said on a podcast where you said, if you are poor right now, it's because you decided you want to be poor. you said at the time when you were first talked about that it was taken out of context, do you want to expand on what you meant by that for anyone that may not have been a part of. Or heard about it up until this point. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah, yeah, for sure. No, I'm glad that you bring this up. I mean, the whole point of candidacy is to make sure that someone is who they say they are and are a person of integrity. And yeah, so I did say those words. It was on a podcast in December of last year. It was my podcast for my business. It's called the Humble Warrior Podcast. And that episode was a an episode on abundance versus scarcity mindset. And Mike Winson: Hm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: I had a client at the time. Who it was the holidays, right? So we're we're doing holiday shopping. And she's like, We're poor, and you know, we can't even buy a turkey, you know, like all these things. And her and her spouse combined made $300,000 that year. And so I, you know, I was like, Honey, you're poor because you made a choice to be poor, right? And so Mike Winson: Yeah. Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: it it was taken out of context. I fully Take responsibility for how it sounds, because it sounds terrible. which by the way, look, a candidate taking responsibility for their actions, I know it's just it's crazy. It's just so crazy. I know, I know. Mike Winson: It's people people don't know how to how to handle that one. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and so, but and by the way, our website has we we have a blurb about it where people can check it out. alani4mt.com slash media. Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Check it out. And you can I encourage people to watch the entire podcast episode. It's funny, we've gotten comments and and public statements where people are like, my gosh, it was so inspiring. Everybody should watch that episode. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: but so I mean, this is what they have to resort to because I don't have any dirt, you know? And Mike Winson: Yeah. Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and it's funny because there have been a couple times on the campaign trail when when this comes up and And we talk about the sex discrimination lawsuit that the independent settled with 18 women when he was president Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: of a university. And they're and what they a couple of people have said is at least he hasn't raped anybody. And I'm like, is that the bar? Like, are is that where we are? Mike Winson: You know, you know, that is the sad thing. And and the my my argument past that is I would even argue that's not a bar anymore. because again, I can't count how many times I argue online with people who still say that Kamala Harris was a worse choice than a guy who was found liable of. doing that exact thing. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Isn't it crazy? It's so crazy. Mike Winson: It it blows my mind every time I have to like those words come out of my mouth when I'm asking them that question. Like, you're trying to tell me that a woman's laugh is a is a is a better judge of character than whether or not they were found liable of sexual assault. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: No, it's so sad. It is so sad. And and yeah, so I mean, we're seeing some of that internalized misogyny here in Montana, which is also wild because Montana was the first state to send a congresswoman to Congress four years before women could even vote federally in this country. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and so that's what we're grappling with, right? I mean, I think the whole country is all all this. nastiness is coming to the surface. And and frankly, I know it's really painful, but I think it has to. I think bringing it to light allows us to disinfect it and heal it and address it. And it's uncomfortable to be part of that conversation. I mean, I definitely have my moments where I'm like, you know, like I don't actually have to do this. You know, like I've I think I've done enough Mike Winson: I bet. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: to protect people, you know, but but this is the fight right now. And I am so thankful for the hell that I went through when I was younger, frankly, because it prepared Mike Winson: Hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: me for this. You know, we and actually as part of the pressure campaign leading up to August 10th, there were some documents that got leaked of there was like documented efforts to harass my entire family, including my underage daughter. there They they printed signs like yard signs and put them all over Helena, Montana, including my neighborhood, saying Alani drop out. and Mike Winson: Wow. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and they, I mean, they did some some really underhanded things that I was like, you can attack me all you want, but you don't attack my family, you don't attack my neighbors, like you don't attack my hometown. and but that's where we're at because they want to maintain power that badly. And make no mistake, this entire Race is about AI data centers and dark money. Period. That's what this is about. And but you know, again, I am so thankful for resources like John Meacham's Hope Through History podcast, right? I mean, if you really look at our history, this isn't the first time we've been through hell and where democracy almost broke, and we came back better. And I really do think that we're going to come back better. Mike Winson: Yeah. So speaking of AI, what what do you think of the news that came out from the person who left Anthropic that said that there is a ten percent chance of AI destroying the world if we do not start putting regulations on it? And then what you know, when you win. will be we'll be optimistic here. When you win, what do you hope to do? Like what do what is your idea of the best route to go when it comes to AI? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah. Well, my immediate first thought is we saw this in the Terminator, we knew this. Mike Winson: That's what I I said I when I first heard it, I was like I feel like everyone just feels like we're in the Terminator or one of these other AI movies that that involved the destruction of the planet. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah, yeah, we knew. We already knew that. yeah, so it's interesting. First, I'm actually I was a little surprised to see that come out because I those guys are so good at keeping a lid on things that I was surprised that somebody would whistleblow in that way. But I'm Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: really thankful for their courage. And I think I saw Sam Altman and some other CEOs were like, Yeah, actually, like it's not that great, right? And they're like, We do. Mike Winson: Well they keep they keep they keep losing hold of their AIs and they keep breaking out. I feel like they're just trying to cover their bases at this point. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: No, that's exactly what it is. They're like, well, we want some regulation, but we don't actually want to be told what to do, right? So Mike Winson: Right. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: it's it's very much this concession of, well, we want to seem like we're part of the solution, but we still want to do what we want to do. And Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: I actually feel like I'm very uniquely suited to address this because working in cyber child sex crimes for as long as I have, I have been in those national conversations at the congressional level. at the DOJ level, where it's been a battle with tech for years on how to Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: protect kids online. And big tech, you know, they pretend like they care about kids, but it has been apparent to me for years. It's been about profit over people, a hundred percent. And you know, with law enforcement, the issue is that I tell folks: hey, if you want to be a freak online, if you want to be a freak. Offline. Do your thing. Like we're not the morality police, right? But we Mike Winson: Right. At least we shouldn't be. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: yeah, right, right. But we still have to have a mechanism to investigate if a crime happened. And that's where the subpoena power and search warrant power comes into play. But when big tech says, we can't because peer-to-peer, right? Like we don't host that information. So it's the keys on the device. and all these are really sneaky ways of covering up for abuses. And Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: I remember like being in that space and seeing the big billboards for major tech companies, and they're like so private that you know, even we can't get into it. And I'm like, my may as well just say like child predators, buy our product, like you know, you can have all your stuff on there. So Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: and you know, the other thing too is there's this great book called Why Do Civil Wars Start? And it was written by, I'm gonna butcher it, but this lady who she was on some like White House level committee, some federal government entity, and they study civil wars all over the world and they Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: assessed that there was X number of factors that if they were at a certain point resulted in a civil war. And at the time she wrote it, wrote it, I think it's been out for about 18 months, maybe two years, she she was like, America's on an Elevated level of having a civil war. And the number one thing we can do to stop that is regulate big tech. And Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: so, you know, the background I have in understanding how tech can be used as a weapon and to hurt or protect kids, understanding the players already in those spaces, I am excited to get to DC and and hold big tech accountable and get some monopoly busting. actions going and Mike Winson: Amen. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: be not only because you know we don't want AI to break out and and result in judgment day kind of situation, but because everybody needs regulation, right? Regulation isn't a bad thing. It's just guardrails. And tech has just done so much damage as evidenced by I think Meta just had this big massive judgment against them, Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: which was again as I hate to say it a surprise to me because they've been ruled against, but it was like pennies. You they they'd be like 20 million, fine. And I'm like, it's a parking ticket for them, you know? so so the people are really hungry for accountability. And that's the cornerstone of my campaign. Mike Winson: one of the other things that I'm not sure how widespread it is through at least the people of Montana, but for for those of us like me who fends spend far too much time looking at the news, 60 Minutes just came out with a report talking about pardon brokers and as a hopeful future member of Congress, what What do you see as your as your place, as Congress's place to try and look into slash curb the idea of selling pardons by by our president? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Yeah. I mean, Congress is the check and balance, one of the checks and balances to the executive branch. And so certainly opening an investigation to formally understand what the role of these pardon brokers actually is and what they do, and if any money exchanged hands. And if money did exchange hands, then arrests and accountability and jail time. and that is something that I I mean, this is the the The crux of the issue, and it's the cornerstone of everything that we're fighting for, right? Is trust is broken between the people and the government. And if you don't have some level of trust, it's not gonna work. The social contract is not gonna be able to continue. And I mean, it it's interesting. There's a a candidate in the in my race who, when asked about impeaching and convicting Trump, they're like, Well, I'd have to look at the investigation. And I'm like, you need more evidence. You know, I mean, I'm just like, yeah. You know, and and as an investigator, I'm the first one to say, I want to look at the evidence. I I want to see what the investigation says. But I'm like, no, no, no, honey. Like, we we all know, you know, but and so yeah, I think people are just really hungry for accountability because there are two Americas and there are two Montanas. There's the The America and the Montana for the rich people who get away with whatever crimes they want. And everybody else is stuck being held accountable to a completely broken justice system Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: that takes advantage of folks, that abuses folks, that, you know, the mass deportations on the immigration side, the lack of due process. I mean, it is barbaric what's happening right now in our history. Mike Winson: So you we are 64 days, I think, 46 days, 46 days from the the midterm elections. there are a lot of people that are very nervous about what this administration may or may not do in terms of making it harder for people to vote. Even there have been some alarms sounded by by some people that the speaker of the house might do something untwart in regards to the the clerk of Congress to prevent the seating of members of Congress. what are your thoughts on that? Is that something that you that you are worried about right now? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Well, I honestly I'm not worried about it. And I I say that from the perspective of I've just been through so much crazy stuff. I'm like, we're gonna be okay. No matter what, we're gonna be okay. But I'm also an operations planner, right? So I go into dangerous parts of the world and we have a mission and What we're trained to do is come up with the worst case scenario and come up with a plan to make sure that doesn't happen. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: And so what I tell folks is right, there's different things happening, whether it's with mail in voting, whether it's with if they don't like the decision, then speak the speaker of the house does some crazy undemocratic stuff, un American stuff. they could send the National Guard, right? I mean, there's a million and two doomsday scenarios that could happen. And so the mail-in stuff is a great example that I I've been talking a lot lately because people are worried about it. And you know, I'm like, first I would encourage you if you're if you've not gone to talk to like the the polling officials, please go talk to them. The process is really airtight. I'm not worried about that at all. The USPS stuff is going back and forth between the Supreme Court, you know, different whatever court. and the administration. So you have to take that one day at a time. But for me, I'm like, what can I do to maximize the chances that my vote is going to be counted? So, number one is make sure I get my absentee ballot and I hand walk that ballot to the voting officials during early voting. Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: or I go in and I do early voting myself. that guarantees that my vote is going to be calculated. Now, We are a very rural state and there's a county. I got a message from someone in a county and they're like, we literally don't have a voting place in this county because because the GOP gerrymandered the I mean it's all manipulation, right? and talking to folks, I said if there are elderly people who aren't mobile, like people who can't drive, right? Whatever the barrier is preventing people from going to the polls and voting on on voting day on November 3rd, I tell them you can offer them a ride, right? If if you can do that, give them a ride, help them get that to them. It might be one, two, three, 10 people, right? But it matters. Every single Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: one of those votes matters. And again, nobody does community better than Montana. So it's just in our wheelhouse to help our neighbors. And so I was like, that's one plan, right? You have different courses of action that you can take, but Having understanding of the system minimizes fear a lot. And then just having a course of action. And now on the flip side, we have a saying in the military that no op plan survives first contact. So it doesn't Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: matter how well you plan for something. As soon as you get to the war, everything goes to hell. And you have to pivot as necessary, right? And so this is where you just have to take it one day at a time. You have to find solutions. We have to search the solutions out in each other at the same time. and so we're mentally preparing for all possible scenarios on our campaign as well. And we're gonna put up the fight that is needed. and we have different roos resources we're identifying, right? There are retired like law enforcement, security, military professionals who they already do kind of like private security for protests, Mike Winson: Mm-hmm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: just out of the goodness of their hearts because they just wanna make sure everybody's safe. And so there's just folks like that. There's different resources that are available to us that I'm like, Like if we have to go to war over this, then we can and not literal war, right? But but Mike Winson: Yes, not knock on wood. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: knock on wood, yeah. But but the point is we are the solution to our problems. And America is the most ingenious country ever to have existed. We put a man on the moon. I know we can solve this, and we are going to be the solution to that. Mike Winson: Okay, final question. And I think it's an easy one, but as someone who's about to go to Congress, it may not be. so you get you get there and the all the Democrats of of the Senate get together and meet and they go, Chuck Schumer, majority leader, yay or nay. What what would your vote be? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: No. Mike Winson: I totally agree. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: Absolutely not. I mean, yeah, yeah. And and I've been asked who I would vote for and I don't know the answer. I'd have to assess the lay of the land when I get Mike Winson: We'll have to see who's there. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: there. Yeah, but definitely not Chuck Schumer. So yeah, yeah. Mike Winson: Awesome. all right. So again, for anyone that hasn't that didn't watch the first episode, make sure you go watch the first episode if you want to learn a little more. If you happen to be living under a rock and not know who and you live in Montana and you don't know who Alani is, go go check her out that out and then you know, watch this one, obviously. but for anyone that wants to learn more about you, where can they find you? Alani Bankhead, D-MT: They can go to Alani4M T. It's F-O-R-M T.com. at Alani4MT on social media. yeah, we have almost 70 policy positions, more than double what the next person has in this race. all of our media, I mean, it is the best website. We get feedback all the time on how great that website is. Mike Winson: Okay. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: so shout out to Kate, the web designer, she's phenomenal. but yeah, please, if this resonates, contribute a few bucks. And we're just really honored and excited to be in this fight with you all. You know, thank you, Mike, for having the platform. You know, having these spaces where we can have these conversations is so important. Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: So, folks, please support Mike in his endeavors as well. Share it. and we're just thankful that you're here listening. You know, there there's a quote I like to use by Dave Goggins, the military influencer. Navy SEAL guy. And he says something to the effect of for every hundred guys on the battlefield, 10 are worthless. They shouldn't even be there. We all know those people. We've worked with them, right? There's like 80 in the middle. They're doing okay. They're showing up. They're kind of doing the thing. It's only the top 10 that actually get the mission done. And over the last couple of decades of my career, I've done some crazy stuff: hunting terrorists, spies, child sex abusers on six continents. The magic, the hundreds, if not a thousand pedophiles and traffickers we've arrested, it was always done with a tiny group of less than five people, just Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: like you and I. And we just saw a problem and wanted to be part of the solution. And it was messy as hell. It was hard in the beginning. But as soon as you get that first win, and and a quick example, one of the jurisdictions, I had the FBI trying to stop me, I had the US attorney's office trying to stop me from doing these operations. The first person we arrested was a police officer. And after that, everybody was all about it. All Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: about it. but all that to say, those top 10 are actually what get the mission done. So I Mike Winson: Mm. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: consider you, Mike, and the listeners to be in that 10 because you're actually invested in the fight for democracy right now. The problem with being the 10 is you have to deal with the bottom 90 that aren't doing the things. You're like, how do you not see what we have to do? Right. Mike Winson: Yeah. Alani Bankhead, D-MT: So I just want to encourage you that grace and patience are what get us through. They have a different role that they're meant to play. They're not at your level of understanding. And we just have to find each other and encourage each other. And so, Mike, I'm so thankful that I get to call you my friend. And I look forward to celebrating with you in DC in January. Mike Winson: Yes, absolutely. I've we have already talked that if if and when you win, I I will be there to to cheer you on when you get sworn in. So a thank you for being here. It is it is always an amazing time getting to talk with you. I look forward to seeing what you get to do, not only for the people of Montana, but for the people of of this country. And For everyone listening, thank you. Thank you so much. Please hit all those buttons down below. It makes it possible for me to keep interviewing amazing people like Alani here. And for those of you that may be new to this podcast, just so you know, Breaking the Meta is about having hard conversations when necessary, fighting to break the status quo and the idea that all people, no matter your race, religion, gender, or identity, deserve rights, respect, dignity, and safety. Again, thank you for being here. And for everyone else, we'll see you next time on Breaking the Meta. Bye, guys.