Ric Holden

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ric Holden

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 4, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Montana State University-Bozeman

Personal

Profession

Rancher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Ric Holden (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Montana's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on June 4, 2024.

Biography

Ric Holden earned a bachelor's degree in business management with double minors in business finance and business marketing from Montana State University in Bozeman. His career experience includes working as a rancher and a state senator.

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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 276,652
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,290
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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
	Submit photo	Kyle Austin	3.2	3,177
		Edward Walker	1.2	1,168

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Matt Rosendale (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Holden in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ric Holden did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Holden’s campaign website stated the following:

“	ON THE ISSUES Agriculture: Agriculture is Montana’s number one industry. Ric and Jan started their family farm and ranch operation from the ground up. Ric is actively involved in agriculture and understands what it takes to make an operation successful. As a state senator, Ric has fought for agriculture in Helena. Receiving “A” ratings from Farm Organizations on his legislative report card for years, Ric has served as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Holden’s raise sheep, cattle, corn, alfalfa and small grain crops. Ric firmly believes that in Montana, a healthy agri-business means a healthy Montana economy, and that helps everyone. Secure Our Border: It is time to shut down our borders to illegal immigration. Statutes have been ignored as illegal immigrants have flowed freely into our country. This is placing a burden on the American taxpayer and is taking away opportunities for the youth of this country. Ric supports building a wall where possible, immediately deporting criminals and putting an end to harmful sanctuary city polices that hurt both city residents and country people traveling into these cities. Economy- Inflation- Energy Development: Taxes are high and the inflation rate can better be defined as the “misery index”. As inflation goes up the price of everything skyrockets to the stars. The first thing we need to do as a nation is become energy independent once again and stop buying expensive oil from overseas. Eastern Montana can lead the way in energy development and job creation. As a country we need to use our natural resources responsibly, like oil, coal, and natural gas. Ric wants to be sure our dedicated labor force can find good paying jobs here in Montana. Ric received an “A” rating from the Montana Chamber of Commerce on his business legislative report card. Defending The Right To Bear Arms And Montana’s Recreational Background: Ric has always been a member of the National Rifle Association going clear back to his days as a competitive shooter in high school. He will defend our right to keep arms. Ric strongly believes that our second amendment is our ticket to keeping our freedom. As Montanans we enjoy the freedom to hunt, fish and have access to public lands for enjoyment. The Holden ranch has been part of the Montana Block Management program since 1991. Ric & Jan have always allowed public hunting and fishing on their Yellowstone River-bottom land.	”
—Ric Holden’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Ric Holden campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Montana District 2	Lost primary	$51,721	$50,654
Grand total			$51,721	$50,654
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. House Montana District 2

Website

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Footnotes

[show]

Montana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Steve Daines (R)

Tim Sheehy (R)

Representatives

District 1

Ryan Zinke (R)

District 2

Troy Downing (R)

Republican Party (4)