The Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. The primary election was held on June 5, 2012.

Both Montana's governor, Brian Schweitzer, and his lieutenant governor, John Bohlinger were prevented by term limits from seeking another term in office, leaving both seats open.^[1]

In Montana, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a single ticket. In 2012, 11 sets of candidates entered the race: two Democrats, seven Republicans, one Libertarian, and one set of independent candidates. The field was whittled down to four after the two major parties selected their candidates in the June 5th primary:

Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh (D)
Rick Hill and Jon Sonju (R)
Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy (L)
Bill Coate and Joni Oja

Election Results

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	2012; State Executive Official Elections
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Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election
	Primary Date: ; June 5, 2012
	General Election Date: ; November 6, 2012
	State Executive Elections
	State executive official elections in 2012

General

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

According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Ron Vandevender took in over 9,000 more votes than the number that separated Bullock and Hill.^[2]

Primary

Governor/Lt. Governor of Montana, Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steve Bullock & John E. Walsh	86.6%	76,738
Heather Margolis & Steve Nelsen	13.4%	11,823
Total Votes		88,561
Election results via Montana Secretary of State.

Governor/Lt. Governor of Montana, Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rick Hill & Jon Sonju	34.4%	46,802
Corey Stapleton & Bob Keenan	18.1%	24,661
Ken Miller & Bill Gallagher	18%	24,496
Jim O'Hara & Scott Swingley	12.2%	16,653
Neil Livingstone & Ryan Zinke	8.8%	12,038
Jim Lynch & Al Olszewski	6.1%	8,323
Bob Fanning & Joel Boniek	2.3%	3,087
Total Votes		136,060
Election results via Montana Secretary of State.

Background

Key dates

Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.

Deadline	Event
Jan. 12 - Mar. 12	Candidate filing period
May 7	Voter registration for primary election
June 4, Noon	Requests received for absentee ballot for primary election
June 5	Primary election
Aug. 13	Deadline for candidates to withdrawal general election candidacy
Aug. 23	Secretary of State certifies candidates on ballot
Nov. 5	Requests received for absentee ballot for general election
Nov. 6	General election
Dec. 3	Official results certified

Race tracking

2011 Race Rankings - Montana Governor
Race Tracker		Race Rating
The Cook Political Report^[3]		Toss-up
Governing Politics^[4]		Lean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball^[5]		Leans Republican
Rasmussen Reports Gubernatorial Scorecard^[6]		No prediction yet
The Rothenberg Political Report^[7]		Pure Toss-up
Overall Call

Candidates

General election candidates

Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh (D)
Rick Hill and Jon Sonju (R)
Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy (L)
Bill Coate and Joni Oja

Primary election candidates

Despite early speculation, there were a few surprises when the dust had settled after the candidate filing period came to an end on March 12, 2012.

The Democratic field was initially expected to be a three-person showdown, but state Senator Larry Jent dropped out of the race on March 8, 2012 saying he hadn't raised enough money to compete with Bullock,^[8] who, according to early polling, was a heavy favorite with 70% of the primary vote to Jent's 6% (24% of voters were undecided).^[9]
On the Republican side, gubernatorial hopeful Bob Fanning announced in early January his running mate would be Chuck Baldwin.^[10] But Baldwin left the campaign in mid-February due to a lack of both money and a "quality organization"^[11] and Fanning picked up a new running mate, former state Rep. Joel Boniek.

Democratic primary candidates

Steve Bullock & John E. Walsh a
Heather Margolis & Steve Nelsen

Republican primary candidates

Libertarian candidates

Ron Vandevender & Marc Mulcahy

Independent candidates

Bill Coate & Joni Oja

Former candidates

Larry Jent, a state Senator
Drew Turiano, a real estate investor and former science fiction author, initially indicated his intention to run for Governor of Montana, but in January 2012 announced he would, instead, seek the Republican nomination for Montana Secretary of State in the 2012 election.^[12]
David Wanzenried, a state Senator, was considering a run for the Democratic nomination
Jeff Essmann, a state Senator, declared his intent to run, but withdrew from the race before the candidate filing deadline, citing a lack of funds and a desire for a united Republican Party^[13]
Chuck Baldwin appeared to be the lieutenant governor candidate on Bob Fanning's ticket but Fanning filed with Joel Boniek instead.

Endorsements

Six of the nine gubernatorial candidates provided The Billings Gazette with a list of five individuals, groups or a combination that had endorsed them.^[14]

Democrats

Steve Bullock

Gov. Brian Schweitzer
Montana AFL-CIO
MEA-MFT
Planned Parenthood
Montana Conservation Voters

Republicans

Neil Livingstone

Glen Swope, President of the Montana Federation of Pachyderm Clubs
Rep. Mike Miller
Gregg Trude, Executive Director of Right to Life of Montana
Sen. Edward Buttrey
Paul Vallely, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Jim Lynch

Julie Peterson
George Ingahm
Rodney Garcia
Chuck Klefner
Mitch Stanley

Ken Miller

Mark Agather, Northwest Montana Patriots Association
Trude
Jeff Laszloffy, President of Montana Family Foundation, Laurel
Duarie Mitchell, former owner and founder of Mitchell Oil Service, Sidney
Kerry White, President of Citizens for Balanced Use

Corey Stapleton

Nick Wolter, CEO of Billings, Clinic
Ron Marlenee, former US Representative
Dennis Hicks and George Torp, founders of Montana Alliance for Constitutionalism
Ron Sexton, former Chancellor of Montana State University Billings

Jim O'Hara

Kent Wasson, farmer, rancher, entrepreneur
Dave Brown, CEO of Source Giant Springs Water Co.
Jim Taylor, CEO of Taylor's Family Auto Group
Bruce Hould, farmer and rancher
Rick Cook, clerk and recorder in Chouteau County

Polls

General election polls

Without Coate or Vandevender

Governor of Montana
Poll	Steve Bullock	Rick Hill	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Pharos Research Group (October 26-28, 2012)	47.1%	44.4%	8.5%	+/-3.5	799
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

With Coate and Vandevender

Governor of Montana
Poll	Steve Bullock	Rick Hill	Ron Vandevender	Bill Coate	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (October 8-10, 2012)	42%	43%	4%	4%	7%	+/-3.6	737
Public Policy Polling (September 10-11, 2012)	44%	39%	4%	4%	9%	+/-3.8	656
AVERAGES	43%	41%	4%	4%	8%	+/-3.7	696.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

With Vandevender

Governor of Montana
Poll	Steve Bullock	Rick Hill	Ron Vandevender	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Mason-Dixon Polling and Research ( October 29-31, 2012)	46%	49%	2%	3%	+/-4.0	625
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (September 17-19, 2012)	44%	43%	2%	11%	+/-4.0	625
AVERAGES	45%	46%	2%	7%	+/-4	625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock as Democratic candidate

Steve Bullock vs. Jeff Essmann
Poll	Steve Bullock	Jeff Essmann	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	42%	30%	28%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Rick Hill
Poll	Steve Bullock	Rick Hill	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	38%	39%	23%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Neil Livingstone
Poll	Steve Bullock	Neil Livingstone	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	41%	29%	30%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Ken Miller
Poll	Steve Bullock	Ken Miller	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	40%	31%	29%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent as Democratic candidate

Larry Jent vs. Jeff Essmann
Poll	Larry Jent	Jeff Essmann	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	26%	30%	44%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Rick Hill
Poll	Larry Jent	Rick Hill	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	26%	39%	35%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Neil Livingstone
Poll	Larry Jent	Neil Livingstone	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	26%	30%	44%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Ken Miller
Poll	Larry Jent	Ken Miller	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)	25%	33%	42%	+/-2.4	1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Debates

The candidates for governor met several times, though not always as a full field.

Nine candidates; both parties

On February 27, the Cascade County Farm Bureau hosted a forum featuring eight Republicans and one Democrat, Larry Jent. The candidates discussed issues such as the threat of brucellosis to the state's cattle, combination schools in rural areas, and the Keystone XL pipeline. Each candidate also had the chance to present their case to voters.^[15]

GOP candidates

On May 2, five of the seven Republican gubernatorial candidates met in Whitefish for a debate. Debate topics included lowering property taxes, increasing the use of the state’s natural resources, creating a less adversarial legal and regulatory environment, and identifying new funding sources for public education.^[16]^[17]

At the start of the debate, each candidate was asked to highlight the strengths of their campaign and respond to criticisms that had arisen during the campaign.

Jim Lynch highlighted his record as Director of the Montana Department of Transportation, where he saved the state $9.7 million by reducing staff and overtime hours.^[16] He argued that attitude, rather than taxes and regulations, was hindering growth and said he would stimulate the state's economy by applying similar savings in state government.^[17]
Neil Livingstone, described as having a federal focus, emphasized his experience managing nine-figure companies worldwide as providing him with experience, objectivity, and vision for Montana.^[16] He supported drilling, mining, and logging as ways to revitalize Montana’s economy and pledged to establish a legal and regulatory environment conducive to the state’s prosperity.^[17]
Ken Miller pledged to eliminate both the business employment tax and the corporate income tax.^[16] He proposed a loser-pay law designed to reduce the number of lawsuits filed in the state and to speed up the issuance of environmental permits. He also said he would seek an amendment to the part of Montana’s constitution that guarantees everyone a clean and healthy environment, citing concerns about broad judicial interpretation.^[17]
Corey Stapleton suggested that delays in developing Montana's oil and coal resources stem from gubernatorial appointments to boards and commissions responsible for oversight.^[17] He proposed using revenue from natural resource development to provide $220 million in permanent property tax relief and to fund public education.^[16]
Rick Hill advocated reducing local property taxes and cited Wyoming's use of coal tax revenues to fund public education as a model.^[16] He criticized trial lawyers and environmentalists, whom he identified as responsible for a statewide regulatory framework that he said was hindering Montana's economic growth.^[17]

Campaign finance

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.

Due dates for primary election:

May 21: Pre-primary report #1
May 31: Pre-primary report #2
June 25: Post-primary report

Due dates for general election:

October 22: Pre-general election report #1
November 1: Pre-general election report #2
November 26: Post-general election report

Candidates

Steve Bullock

Steve Bullock Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1^[18]	May 19, 2012	$394,985.03	$72,910.01	$(47,915.10)	$419,979.94
Pre-primary report #2^[19]	May 31, 2012	$419,669.94	$34,633.00	$(7,440.44)	$446,862.50
Post-primary report^[20]	June 25, 2012	$446,562.50	$97,539.12	$(24,115.81)	$519,985.81
			Running totals
			$205,082.13	$(79,471.35)

Rick Hill

Rick Hill Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1^[21]	May 20, 2012	$220,936.86	$43,894.02	$(165,182.23)	$99,648.65
Pre-primary report #2^[22]	May 31, 2012	$95,748.65	$25,497.00	$(75,529.58)	$45,716.07
Post-primary report^[23]	June 25, 2012	$45,716.07	$31,258.69	$(59,808.78)	$17,165.98
			Running totals
			$100,649.71	$(300,520.59)

Ron Vandevender

Ron Vandevender Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1^[24]	May 21, 2012	$5.72	$30.00	$(25.95)	$9.77
Pre-primary report #2^[25]	May 30, 2012	$9.77	$41.00	$(40.95)	$9.82
Post-primary report^[26]	June 25, 2012	$9.82	$0.00	$(0.00)	$9.82
			Running totals
			$71	$(66.9)

Campaign media and news

News

Campaign sites

Democrats:

Republicans:

Libertarian:

Ron Vandevender

Independent:

Ronald Lassle

Campaign advertisements

Steve Bullock

Rick Hill

Montana Jobs, Education, and Technology (JET) PAC
Complicated

Republican Governors Association
Climate

Costing You Jobs

AFSCME MT
Order

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

[1] Montana Secretary of State, "Term limits," accessed June 8, 2012

[2] Daily Kos, "Libertarians provided the margin for Democrats and at least nine elections," November 15, 2012

[3] The Cook Political Report, “Governors: Race Ratings”

[4] Governing Politics, “Looking Ahead: The 2011-2012 Gubernatorial Landscape”, December 2, 2010

[5] Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2011 Governor Ratings”

[6] Rasmussen Reports', “Election 2010: Scorecard Ratings”

[7] Rothenberg Political Report, “Governor Ratings”

[8] KPAX.com, "Democrat Larry Jent drops out of race for governor," March 9, 2012

[9] Public Policy Polling, "Republican hill leads Bullock by one for MT-Gov. (page 3)," December 5, 2011

[10] Flathead Beacon, "Fanning and Baldwin: In this to win," January 17, 2012

[11] KRTV.com, "MT gubernatorial candidate Fanning loses running mate," February 13, 2012

[12] Billings Gazette, "Turiano leaves governor's race to run for secretary of state," January 16, 2012

[13] KXLH.com, "Essman ends run or Governor of MT," January 27, 2012

[14] Billings Gazette, "6 governor candidates list campaign endorsements," May 28, 2012

[15] KPAX.com, 9 MT gubernatorial candidates square off in Great Falls," February 28, 2012

[kpax-16] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 ^16.3 ^16.4 ^16.5 KPAX.com, "Montana GOP candidates debate in Whitefish," May 2, 2012

[miss-17] 17.0 ^17.1 ^17.2 ^17.3 ^17.4 ^17.5 The Missoulian, "5 GOP candidates for Montana governor hold debate," May 2, 2012

[18] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, "May 19, 2012

[19] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, May 31, 2012

[20] ttp://applicationengine.mt.gov/getContent?vsId={8D83C7D8-4394-45E6-BC0E-DE0AFCC20364}&impersonate=true&objectStoreName=PROD%20OBJECT%20STORE&objectType=document Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, June 25, 2012

[21] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, May 20, 2012

[22] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, May 31, 2012

[23] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, June 25, 2012

[24] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, May 21, 2012

[25] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, May 30, 2012

[26] Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, June 25, 2012

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News • Calendar

Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012

Election Results

General

Primary

Background

Key dates

Race tracking

Candidates

General election candidates

Primary election candidates

Democratic primary candidates

Republican primary candidates

Libertarian candidates

Independent candidates

Former candidates

Endorsements

Democrats

Republicans

Polls

General election polls

Without Coate or Vandevender

With Coate and Vandevender

With Vandevender

Steve Bullock as Democratic candidate

Larry Jent as Democratic candidate

Debates

Nine candidates; both parties

GOP candidates

Campaign finance

Candidates

Steve Bullock

Rick Hill

Ron Vandevender

Campaign media and news

News

Campaign sites

Campaign advertisements

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

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Public Policy

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