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Buttigieg endorses independent Seth Bodnar over Democratic nominee in Montana Senate race

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has endorsed independent Seth Bodnar over Democratic Senate nominee Alani Bankhead in Montana, Bodnar’s campaign announced Friday. Buttigieg, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said in a statement that Bodnar has served the country from the Army Green Berets to the University of Montana. Bodnar, a retired Army Green Beret who was until recently president of the University of Montana, says that if elected he will not caucus with Democrats or Republicans. The endorsement comes ahead of the November election for the Senate seat.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Pete Buttigieg, a former Transportation Secretary, has endorsed independent Seth Bodnar over the Democratic nominee in Montana’s Senate race.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News, CBS News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  2. The Democratic nominee is Alani Bankhead.

    One outletCBS News· Left

  3. The endorsement was announced on Friday by Bodnar’s campaign.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill

  4. The endorsement comes less than two weeks before the November election.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

  5. Buttigieg is reported to be weighing a possible 2028 presidential campaign.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Right
    Washington Examiner
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Bodnar says that if elected he will not caucus with either party.

    One outletCBS News· Left

  2. Bodnar is a retired Army Green Beret and was until recently president of the University of Montana.

    One outletCBS News· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Buttigieg endorsed independent Seth Bodnar over the Democratic nominee in Montana’s Senate race. The left emphasizes the endorsement itself and Bodnar’s background, the center stresses that a Democrat remains on the ballot, and the right stresses that the endorsement bypasses the Democratic candidate.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side headlines state the endorsement plainly, naming Buttigieg and Bodnar and noting that the Democratic nominee is passed over, with the endorsement itself as the lead.

    Buttigieg endorses independent Seth Bodnar in Montana Senate race
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The center headline stresses that a Democrat is still on the ballot and frames the endorsement against the wider Democratic effort to back the independent.

    Buttigieg endorses independent in Montana Senate race with a Democrat still on the ballot
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage here is the Washington Examiner, whose headline stresses that the endorsement bypasses the Democratic candidate and whose description adds Buttigieg’s possible 2028 run.

    Pete Buttigieg endorses independent in Montana Senate race over Democratic candidate
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center1

    some believe

  • Right2

    bypassingrumored

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    bypassingMore neutral: endorses instead of

    Bypassing suggests a snub, while the endorsement simply chooses another candidate.

    …Pete Buttigieg has endorsed independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar in Montana, bypassing the state’s Democratic nominee less than two weeks before the November election.

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    rumoredMore neutral: report only what can be confirmed, or name the source of the rumor

    Publishes a rumor while disclaiming it.

    Buttigieg, who is rumored to be weighing a possible 2028 presidential campaign, praised Bodnar’s military and…

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    some believeMore neutral: name the Democrats who hold the view

    Attributes a view about the race to unnamed people, so readers cannot tell who holds it.

    …of Democratic efforts to swing the race toward the independent candidate, who some believe has a better chance to beat Republican...

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the endorsement as a choice over the Democratic nominee
  • Bodnar’s military and public service record
  • Bodnar’s independence from both parties

Leaves out

  • the timing less than two weeks before the November election

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Top Dem Breaks Ranks With Shock Senate Endorsement

    Pete Buttigieg has made a shock endorsement in the Montana Senate race. The former transportation secretary, 44, broke ranks with the Democratic Party to endorse independent candidate Seth Bodnar over Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead. Read more at The Daily Beast.

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Buttigieg endorses independent Seth Bodnar in Montana Senate race

    Pete Buttigieg chose to endorse independent Seth Bodnar over the Democratic Senate nominee, Alani Bankhead. Bodnar says he will not caucus with Democrats if he wins.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeft

    Buttigieg endorses independent over Democratic nominee in Montana Senate race

    Pete Buttigieg is endorsing independent Montana U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar.

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • a Democrat still on the ballot
  • Democratic efforts to swing the race
  • the independent’s chances against the Republican
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Buttigieg endorses independent in Montana Senate race with a Democrat still on the ballot

    Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg endorsed independent Seth Bodnar on Friday over the Democratic nominee in Montana's Senate race. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • bypassing the Democratic candidate
  • Buttigieg’s possible 2028 campaign
  • Bodnar’s military record

Leaves out

  • Bodnar’s plan not to caucus with either party

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Pete Buttigieg endorses independent in Montana Senate race over Democratic candidate

    Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has endorsed independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar in Montana, Loaded verb“bypassing”Bypassing suggests a snub, while the endorsement simply chooses another candidate.More neutral: endorses instead ofDisagree with this highlight? the state’s Democratic nominee less than two weeks before the November election. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    ABC News, Oct 23, 5:25 AM EDT

  • Center

    6 hr 8 min later

    Its first report, Oct 23, 11:33 AM EDT

  • Right

    2 hr 44 min later

    Its first report, Oct 23, 8:09 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. ABC NewsLeftOct 23, 5:25 AM EDT
  2. Washington ExaminerRightOct 23, 8:09 AM EDT
  3. The HillCenterOct 23, 11:33 AM EDT
  4. CBS NewsLeftOct 23, 12:23 PM EDT
  5. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 23, 12:29 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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