Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

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← 2020
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Montana
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): Gov. Greg Gianforte (Republican) Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Montana
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican
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 Attorney General Secretary of State Auditor Superintendent of Public Instruction Public Service Commissioner (3 seats)

Montana held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 4, 2024. The filing deadline was March 11, 2024.

Incumbent Greg Gianforte won election in the general election for Governor of Montana.

Incumbent Kristen Juras won election in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Montana.

This was one of 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2024 elections, there were 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
• Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Montana

Incumbent Greg Gianforte defeated Ryan Busse and Kaiser Leib in the general election for Governor of Montana on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Gianforte (R)	58.9	354,569
		Ryan Busse (D)	38.6	232,644
		Kaiser Leib (L)	2.5	15,191

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 602,404
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Montana

Ryan Busse defeated Jim Hunt in the Democratic primary for Governor of Montana on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ryan Busse	71.0	70,857
	Submit photo	Jim Hunt	29.0	29,004

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 99,861
= 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

• Shawn White Wolf (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Montana

Incumbent Greg Gianforte defeated Tanner Smith in the Republican primary for Governor of Montana on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Gianforte	75.2	144,827
		Tanner Smith	24.8	47,713

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,540
= 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

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Kaiser Leib advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Montana.

Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Incumbent Kristen Juras defeated Raph Graybill and Matt Campbell in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Montana on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristen Juras (R)	58.9	354,569
		Raph Graybill (D)	38.6	232,644
	Submit photo	Matt Campbell (L)	2.5	15,191

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 602,404
= 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 Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Raph Graybill defeated Jerry Driscoll in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Montana on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raph Graybill	71.0	70,857
	Submit photo	Jerry Driscoll	29.0	29,004

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 99,861
= 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 Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Incumbent Kristen Juras defeated Randy Pinocci in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Montana on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristen Juras	75.2	144,827
		Randy Pinocci	24.8	47,713

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,540
= 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

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Matt Campbell advanced from the Libertarian primary for Lieutenant Governor of Montana.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Montana

Election information in Montana: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 7, 2024
• Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
• By mail: N/A by N/A
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 7, 2024 to Nov. 4, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MST)

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Montana gubernatorial election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2012.

2020

See also: Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Governor of Montana

Greg Gianforte defeated Mike Cooney, Lyman Bishop, and Chris Hall in the general election for Governor of Montana on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Gianforte (R)	54.4	328,548
		Mike Cooney (D)	41.6	250,860
		Lyman Bishop (L)	4.0	24,179
		Chris Hall (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	21

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 603,608
= 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

• Robert Barb (G)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Montana

Mike Cooney defeated Whitney Williams in the Democratic primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Cooney	54.9	81,527
		Whitney Williams	45.1	67,066

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 148,593
= 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

• Casey Schreiner (D)
• Reilly Neill (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Montana

Greg Gianforte defeated Tim Fox and Albert Olszewski in the Republican primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Gianforte	53.4	119,247
		Tim Fox	27.3	60,823
		Albert Olszewski	19.3	43,080

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 223,150
= 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

• Gary Perry (R)
• Corey Stapleton (R)
• Peter Ziehli (R)

Green primary election

Green primary for Governor of Montana

Robert Barb advanced from the Green primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Robert Barb	100.0	713

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 713
= 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

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Lyman Bishop advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Montana.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ron Vandevender (L)

2016

See also: Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2016

The general election for governor was held on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Steve Bullock (D) defeated challenger Greg Gianforte (R).

Incumbent Steve Bullock & Mike Cooney defeated Greg Gianforte & Lesley Robinson, Ted Dunlap & Ron Vandevender, Casey Filler, and Christopher Zarcone in the Montana governor election.

Montana Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Steve Bullock & Mike Cooney Incumbent	50.25%	255,933
	Republican	Greg Gianforte & Lesley Robinson	46.36%	236,115
	Libertarian	Ted Dunlap & Ron Vandevender	3.40%	17,312
	Independent	Casey Filler	0.00%	0
	Independent	Christopher Zarcone	0.00%	0
Total Votes				509,360
Source: Montana Secretary of State

2012

See also: Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012

Incumbent Brian Schweitzer (D) was prevented from running for re-election due to term limits. Steve Bullock (D), running on a ticket with John E. Walsh, defeated Rick Hill (R), Ron Vandevender (L), and Bill Coate (I) in the November 6, 2012 general election.

Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Montana General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh	48.9%	236,450
	Republican	Rick Hill and Jon Sonju	47.3%	228,879
	Libertarian	Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy	3.8%	18,160
Total Votes				483,489
Election results via Montana Secretary of State

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Montana in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Montana, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2024
State	Office	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Qualifications
Montana	Governor	N/A	$1,248.21	3/11/2024	Source	Must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen, and have resided in the state two years before the general election.

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.

• Presidential elections
• Statewide elections
• State partisanship
• Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in Montana and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

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
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

See also: List of United States Senators from Montana

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%
2014	57.8%	40.1%
2012	48.6%	44.9%
2008	72.9%	27.1%
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%
2012	48.9%	47.3%
2008	65.5%	32.5%
2004	50.4%	46.0%
Average	53.9	43.0

See also: Party control of Montana state government

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
Secretary of State	Christi Jacobsen
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.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of Montana official website
• Lieutenant Governor of Montana official website

Footnotes

State executive offices

Offices

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Elections

2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010

Features

Chart of state executive officers • Compensation • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • How vacancies are filled in state executive offices • State executive officials serving in home states • State government trifectas • State of the state addresses • Term limits

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