Did Brian Schweitzer offer Riley Neal money to drop out of Montana's Senate primary?

Riley Neal, the primary's early front-runner, told This American Life that a well-known Democrat asked whether $500,000, and then $15 million, would get her to quit. She laughed it off. She named former governor Brian Schweitzer. Schweitzer called the claim outrageous but said he may have raised such figures to show that she could not be bought. After speaking to former Schweitzer staff, Murphy doubts it was a real bribe offer.

• A sincere offer of that kind would break Montana state law, the episode notes.
• Schweitzer endorsed Neal in the primary and then endorsed Bankhead after she won.
• Neal said the experience left her feeling she is not much of a Democrat anymore.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on This American Life (2026-11-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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