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Montana Attorney General election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
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← 2020
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| Montana Attorney General |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 11, 2024 |
| Primary: June 4, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): Austin Knudsen (R) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Montana |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024 |
| Montana executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A Democratic Party primary took place on June 4, 2024, in Montana to determine which candidate would earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's attorney general election on November 5, 2024.
Ben Alke advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Montana.
This page focuses on Montana's Democratic Party Attorney General primary. For more in-depth information on Montana's Republican Attorney General primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Montana Attorney General election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)
- Montana Attorney General election, 2024
Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Montana
Ben Alke advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Montana on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ben Alke | 100.0 | 93,478 |
| Total votes: 93,478 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There were no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles would have appeared here as candidates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Montana
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Montana, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Montana's 1st | Ryan Zinke |  Republican |
R+6 |
| Montana's 2nd | Matt Rosendale | Republican |
R+16 |
2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Montana[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| ||
| Montana's 1st | 45.3% | 52.2% | ||
| Montana's 2nd | 35.3% | 62.2% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 68.4% of Montanans lived in one of the state's 47 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 17.5% lived in one of five Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Montana was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Montana following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Montana county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 47 | 68.4% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 5 | 17.5% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 11.0% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 2 | 2.5% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 1 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 7 | 29.1% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 49 | 70.9% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Montana presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 10 Democratic wins
- 21 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Montana.
| U.S. Senate election results in Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 55.0% |
45.0%
|
| 2018 | 50.3% |
46.8%
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| 2014 | 57.8% |
40.1%
|
| 2012 | 48.6% |
44.9%
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| 2008 | 72.9% |
27.1%
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| Average | 56.9 | 40.8 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Montana
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Montana.
| Gubernatorial election results in Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 54.4% |
40.7%
|
| 2016 | 50.2% |
48.3%
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| 2012 | 48.9% |
47.3%
|
| 2008 | 65.5% |
32.5%
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| 2004 | 50.4% |
46.0%
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| Average | 53.9 | 43.0 |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Montana's congressional delegation as of May 2024.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Montana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Montana's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.
| State executive officials in Montana, May 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Greg Gianforte
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Kristen Juras
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| Secretary of State | Christi Jacobsen
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| Attorney General | Austin Knudsen
|
State legislature
Montana State Senate
| Party | As of February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 34 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Montana House of Representatives
| Party | As of February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 32 | |
| Republican Party | 68 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Trifecta control
The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.
Montana Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in Montana and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.
| Demographic Data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | United States | |
| Population | 1,084,225 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 145,549 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 86.4% | 65.9% |
| Black/African American | 0.6% | 12.5% |
| Asian | 0.8% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 5.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 1.1% | 6% |
| Multiple | 5.2% | 8.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.2% | 18.7% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 94.5% | 89.1% |
| College graduation rate | 34% | 34.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $66,341 | $75,149 |
| Persons below poverty level | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,032,073 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 145,546 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 89.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 6.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,169 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Montana
Montana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Montana, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[2]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Montana had two Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.10 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Montana
- United States congressional delegations from Montana
- Public policy in Montana
- Endorsers in Montana
- Montana fact checks
- More...
See also
| Montana | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed December 15, 2023
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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