Montana State Senate elections, 2026
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| 2026 Montana Senate Election |
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Elections for the Montana State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 4, 2026.
The Montana State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| As of February 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 18 | |
| Republican | 32 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Primary
Montana State Senate primary 2026 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 6 |
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Mark Noland (i) |
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| District 8 | |||
| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 11 |
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| District 12 |
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Wendy McKamey (i) |
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| District 14 | |||
| District 18 |
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| District 19 |
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Barry Usher (i) |
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| District 22 |
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Daniel Zolnikov (i) |
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| District 23 | |||
| District 25 |
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Dennis Lenz (i) |
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| District 28 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 31 |
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| District 32 | |||
| District 34 |
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| District 41 |
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| District 42 |
Mary Ann Dunwell (i) |
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| District 43 |
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| District 48 |
Andrea Olsen (i) |
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| District 49 | |||
| District 50 | |||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionGeneral election
Montana State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 4 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 6 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 8 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 9 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 10 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 11 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 12 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 14 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 18 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 19 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 22 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 23 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 25 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 28 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 29 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 31 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 32 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 34 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 41 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 42 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 43 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 48 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 49 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 50 | Primary results pending | ||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Montana
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Montana. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Montana Senate from 2010 to 2026.[1] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Montana State Senate elections: 2010 - 2026 | |||
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| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2026 | 25 | TBD | TBD |
| 2024 | 25 | 17 (68 percent) | 8 (32 percent) |
| 2022 | 25 | 13 (52 percent) | 12 (48 percent) |
| 2020 | 25 | 12 (48 percent) | 13 (52 percent) |
| 2018 | 25 | 8 (32 percent) | 17 (68 percent) |
| 2016 | 25 | 14 (56 percent) | 11 (44 percent) |
| 2014 | 25 | 11 (44 percent) | 14 (56 percent) |
| 2012 | 24 | 11 (46 percent) | 14 (54 percent) |
| 2010 | 26 | 16 (62 percent) | 10 (38 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
For qualified party candidates
See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201 of the Montana Code
In order to qualify for placement on the primary ballot, a candidate for the nomination of a recognized political party must file a declaration of nomination and pay the required filing fees. The declaration must include an oath of candidacy, which the candidate is required to sign to affirm that, under the state constitution and applicable federal and state laws, he or she is qualified to hold the office being sought. This paperwork must be filed with the Montana Secretary of State if the office being sought is a congressional seat, a state or district office voted for in more than one county, or a state legislative seat.[2][3]
Filing fees are established in Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202, of the Montana Code Annotated 2023. These fees are summarized in the table below.[4]
| Filing fees | |
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| Office sought | How the fee is determined |
| For offices earning an annual salary of $2,500 or less and members of the state legislature | $15 |
| For offices (except county-level) earning an annual salary of more than $2,500 | 1% of salary |
| For offices in which compensation is paid in fees | $10 |
For independent, indigent, and non-qualified party candidates
See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501 of the Montana Code Annotated 2013
In order to qualify for placement on the general election ballot, a candidate must file an "Independent, Minor Party, or Indigent Candidate Declaration, Oath of Candidacy, and Petition for Nomination." Independent and non-qualified party candidates are liable for the same filing fees as qualified party candidates (see table above). Indigent candidates (i.e., those who do not have the resources to pay the filing fees) are not required to pay the statutory filing fees and may have their names placed on the ballot via the petition process only.[5][6]
Nominating petitions must be signed by electors residing within the state and district or political subdivision in which the official is to be elected. Valid signatures must total at least 5 percent of the total votes cast at the last general election for the successful candidate for the office being sought.[7]
For write-in candidates
In order to have his or her votes counted, a write-in candidate must submit to the Montana Secretary of State a "Declaration of Intent and Oath of Candidacy" and pay the requisite filing fees (noted above).[8]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Montana State Senate, a candidate must be:[9]
- A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
- A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $128.86/legislative day | $206/day |
When sworn in
Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If January 1 is a Monday, legislators assume office on the first Wednesday.[11]
Montana political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Montana Party Control: 1992-2026
No Democratic trifectas • Sixteen 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 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R | R |
Presidential politics in Montana
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in Montana, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
58.4
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352,079 | 4 |
 
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
38.5
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231,906 | 0 | |
 
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent) |
2.0
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11,825 | 0 | |
 
| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.7
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4,275 | 0 | |
 
| Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) |
0.5
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2,878 | 0 | |
 | Shiva Ayyadurai (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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21 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
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6 | 0 | ||
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Total votes: 602,990 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Montana, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
56.9
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343,602 | 3 |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
40.5
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244,786 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
2.5
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15,252 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
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55 | 0 | ||
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Total votes: 603,695 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Montana, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 35.7% | 177,709 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
56.2% | 279,240 | 3 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 5.6% | 28,037 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.6% | 7,970 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.3% | 1,570 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 0.5% | 2,621 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 497,147 | 3 | |||
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission | |||||
Montana presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 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 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
Montana enacted new legislative district boundaries after the 2020 census on February 22, 2023, when the Montana Districting & Apportionment Commission (MDAC) submitted its final plan to the secretary of state. The commission had voted 3-2 to approve the final plan on February 11, 2023. The two Democratic-appointed commissioners and the commission's chairperson—that the state supreme court appointed—voted to approve the plan. The two Republican-appointed commissioners voted against it. These districts took effect for the 2024 elections.
See also
| Montana | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Candidates information," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Independent, Minor Party and Indigent Candidates," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 502," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Write-in Candidates," accessed April 27, 2025
- ↑ Montana Legislative Services, "Constitution of Montana," accessed March 6, 2014 (Referenced Art. V, Sec. 4)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Montana State Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated 2021, 5-2-102. Term of office," accessed November 4, 2021
