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Montana's 2nd Congressional District
Montana's 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by Troy Downing (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Montana representatives represented an average of 542,704 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 994,416 residents.
This district was one of seven new U.S. House districts created as a result of apportionment after the 2020 census. Click here to read more.
Before the congressional apportionment after the 2020 census, Montana was represented in the U.S. House by a single, at-large district. Click here to read more about that district.
Click here for more information about apportionment in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census and here for more information about redistricting in Montana.
Elections
2024
See also: Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Montana District 2
Troy Downing defeated John B. Driscoll, Reilly Neill, and John Metzger in the general election for U.S. House Montana District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Troy Downing (R) | 65.7 | 181,832 |
 | John B. Driscoll (D) | 33.9 | 93,713 | |
 | Reilly Neill (D) (Write-in)  | 0.4 | 1,058 | |
 | John Metzger (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 40 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 9 | ||
| Total votes: 276,652 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
John B. Driscoll defeated Steve Held, Ming Cabrera, and Kevin Hamm in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John B. Driscoll | 33.3 | 13,420 |
 | Steve Held | 26.4 | 10,649 | |
 | Ming Cabrera | 20.9 | 8,408 | |
 | Kevin Hamm | 19.4 | 7,813 | |
| Total votes: 40,290 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Troy Downing | 36.1 | 36,269 |
 | Denny Rehberg | 17.1 | 17,182 | |
 | Stacy Zinn | 13.5 | 13,581 | |
 | Elsie Arntzen | 9.4 | 9,468 | |
 | Kenneth Bogner | 9.0 | 9,026 | |
 | Ric Holden | 7.1 | 7,108 | |
 | Joel G. Krautter | 3.4 | 3,432 | |
| Kyle Austin | 3.2 | 3,177 | ||
 | Edward Walker | 1.2 | 1,168 | |
| Total votes: 100,411 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Matt Rosendale (R)
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Montana District 2
Incumbent Matt Rosendale defeated Gary Buchanan, Penny Ronning, and Sam Rankin in the general election for U.S. House Montana District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matt Rosendale (R) | 56.6 | 121,979 |
 | Gary Buchanan (Independent) | 21.9 | 47,195 | |
 | Penny Ronning (D) | 20.2 | 43,480 | |
 | Sam Rankin (L) | 1.4 | 3,018 | |
| Total votes: 215,672 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
Penny Ronning defeated Mark Sweeney (Unofficially withdrew) and Skylar Williams in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Penny Ronning | 58.5 | 21,983 |
 | Mark Sweeney (Unofficially withdrew) | 22.8 | 8,586 | |
 | Skylar Williams | 18.7 | 7,029 | |
| Total votes: 37,598 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Laurie Bishop (D)
- Jack Ballard (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
Incumbent Matt Rosendale defeated Kyle Austin, Charles A. Walking Child, and James Boyette in the Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Rosendale | 75.7 | 73,453 |
| Kyle Austin | 12.3 | 11,930 | ||
 | Charles A. Walking Child | 6.1 | 5,909 | |
 | James Boyette | 5.9 | 5,712 | |
| Total votes: 97,004 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
Sam Rankin defeated Samuel Thomas and Roger Roots in the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Rankin | 47.0 | 958 |
| Samuel Thomas | 27.2 | 554 | ||
 | Roger Roots | 25.8 | 526 | |
| Total votes: 2,038 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District map
Redistricting
2020-2021
On November 12, 2021, the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission (MDAC) enacted a new congressional map following the 2020 redistricting cycle. The commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the map and to transmit it to the Montana Secretary of State. Both Republican commissioners and Maylinn Smith, the nonpartisan tiebreaker, voted in favor of the map, and the two Democratic commissioners voted against the map.[1] Montana was apportioned two U.S. House seats following the 2020 census. The state previously had one at-large congressional district. This map took effect for Montana's 2022 congressional elections.
A version of the congressional map enacted by the commission had previously been approved on November 4, 2021. The map that received final approval on November 12, 2021, made a minor change in Pondera County, allocating a smaller portion of it to the Western district.[2]
How does redistricting in Montana work? Montana uses a non-politician commission for congressional and state legislative redistricting. This commission comprises five members. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the state legislature select one member a piece. These four members then select a fifth to serve as the commission's chair. If the first four commissioners are unable to agree on an appointment, the Montana Supreme Court may select the fifth member.[3]
The Montana Constitution requires that no commissioner be a public official. State statutes require that two of the first four commissioners "must be selected from certain counties (roughly, in the Montana Rockies to the west) and two must be selected from the rest of the state (to the east)."[3]
The state's Districting and Apportionment Commission must complete congressional redistricting within 90 days of receiving federal census data. It must prepare a legislative redistricting plan "by the 10th legislative day of the first regular session after the federal census results are available. The Legislature then has 30 days to make recommendations to the commission. Within 30 days of receiving the Legislature's recommendations, the commission must file the redistricting plan with the Secretary of State, and it becomes law. Although the commission may modify the plan to accommodate the Legislature's recommendations, it is not required to do so."[4]
The state constitution requires that districts be both contiguous and compact.[3]
| “ | The ... commission has stated that it may gauge compactness by looking to a district's general appearance, and the degree to which it fosters "functional compactness" through "travel and transportation, communication, and geography." The commission has similarly determined that it will, in drawing legislative districts, consider the boundary lines of political subdivisions (counties, cities, towns, school districts, Indian reservations, neighborhood commissions, and others); follow geographic boundaries; and consider keeping intact communities of interest (based on "Indian reservations, urban[, suburban, or rural] interests, . . . neighborhoods, trade areas, geographic location, communication and transportation networks, media markets, social, cultural and economic interests, or occupations and lifestyles").[5] | ” |
| —All About Redistricting | ||
Montana District 2
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
District analysis
2022
Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+16. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 16 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Montana's 2nd the 74th most Republican district nationally.[6]
See also
- Redistricting in Montana
- Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
- Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission, "Meetings," accessed November 12, 2021
- ↑ Billings Gazette, "Commission settles on Montana Congressional district map on 3-2 vote," November 9, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 All About Redistricting, "Montana," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Montana State Legislature, "Districting and Apportionment Commission," accessed October 6, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023
