Christi Jacobsen

Christi Jacobsen (Republican Party) is the Montana Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Jacobsen (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Montana's 1st Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the Republican primary on June 2, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Christi Jacobsen was born in Helena, Montana. Jacobsen graduated from Capital High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Carroll College in 1997, an M.D. from the University of Montana in 2000, and an M.P.A. from the University of Montana. Jacobsen's career experience includes working in the telecom industry, as a government administrator, and as the Montana Deputy Secretary of State.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Political career

Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.

Jacobsen's political career includes the following offices:

2021-present: Montana Secretary of State

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. House Montana District 1

Nick Sheedy (L) and Kimberly Persico (Independent) are running in the general election for U.S. House Montana District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Nick Sheedy (L)
	Submit photo	Kimberly Persico (Independent)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 1

Ryan Busse (D), Russell Cleveland (D), Samuel Forstag (D), and Matt Rains (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 1 on June 2, 2026.

		Candidate
		Ryan Busse
		Russell Cleveland
	Submit photo	Samuel Forstag
		Matt Rains

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 1

Ray Curtis (R), Aaron Flint (R), Christi Jacobsen (R), and Albert Olszewski (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 1 on June 2, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Ray Curtis
	Submit photo	Aaron Flint
		Christi Jacobsen
		Albert Olszewski

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Ryan K. Zinke (R)

Libertarian Party primary

The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for June 2, 2026, was canceled. Nick Sheedy (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Montana District 1 without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

General election

General election for Montana Secretary of State

Incumbent Christi Jacobsen defeated Jesse James Mullen and John Lamb in the general election for Montana Secretary of State on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Christi Jacobsen (R)	61.4	364,319
	Jesse James Mullen (D)	35.5	210,651
	John Lamb (L)	3.1	18,500

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 593,470
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State

Jesse James Mullen advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jesse James Mullen	100.0	93,063

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 93,063
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State

Incumbent Christi Jacobsen advanced from the Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christi Jacobsen	100.0	165,405

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 165,405
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. John Lamb advanced from the Libertarian primary for Montana Secretary of State.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jacobsen in this election.

2020

Montana Secretary of State election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

Montana Secretary of State election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for Montana Secretary of State

Christi Jacobsen defeated Bryce Bennett in the general election for Montana Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Christi Jacobsen (R)	59.6	352,939
	Bryce Bennett (D)	40.4	239,617

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 592,556
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State

Bryce Bennett advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bryce Bennett	100.0	130,181

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christi Jacobsen	29.4	57,941
		Scott Sales	25.3	49,759
		Brad Johnson	23.1	45,526
		Forrest Mandeville	10.3	20,318
		Bowen Greenwood	7.1	14,080
	Submit photo	Kurt Johnson	4.7	9,316

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 196,940
= 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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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Christi Jacobsen has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Christi Jacobsen, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Christi Jacobsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jacobsen's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a fourth generation Montana born and raised in Helena. I graduated from Capital High, Carroll College and earned a Master’s degree from University of MT. My husband was an All American quarterback for MT Tech and is a petroleum engineer. We raised our kids in Montana (4 engineers and 1 attorney). After starting my career in the telecom industry and serving in multiple leadership positions in the executive branch before being appointed as the Deputy Secretary of State. With proven track record I won in a six way primary and won the general election by the largest margin of any statewide candidate. I am a national leader by taking on the Washington liberal Machine to fight for common sense voter ID laws, at the same time, I led invigorated free enterprise principles by eliminating and cutting fees in half for businesses resulting in record number of new businesses. In addition to serving with heart and character, I love running marathons, mountain trails, and enjoying fly fishing Montana’s clear waters.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Voter integrity
Free enterprise
Limited government

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Liberty

Free enterprise
Secure elections

Less government

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Government starts at the ballot box, we are committed to fighting for free and fair elections in MT , with a free enterprise, pro business climate.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My Mom and Dad

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Although there are many works that influence me, politically, individually, and as a leader, I’m guided by the Bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official should have integrity, a servant’s heart, and courage.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To protect the integrity of elections, be asset to businesses, preserve history, serve on the land board for school and access.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Upholding the US and MT Constitutions.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes- tremendous

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Government should be limited to allow the economy to thrive. I’ve led this effort with full transparency.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

Although I honor Montana history there is always room for improvement.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Christi Jacobsen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Bennett’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Supporting Main Street Businesses

Bryce was recognized by the Montana Chamber of Commerce for his record of working with Main Street. As Secretary of State, Bryce will cut red tape and bureaucracy and bring small businesses and entrepreneurs to the table to make sure government is responsive to Main Street and listens to the needs of Montana’s job creators.

Bryce’s Leadership:

Bryce will cut government bureaucracy by making the Secretary of State’s office a one-stop-shop for small business owners so they have a clear roadmap of each step they will need to take to get their business up and thriving.

Bryce knows that every moment a business owner spends filling out government forms is time they lose for their business and putting food on their family’s table.

Bryce will create a business council so business leaders always have a seat at the table

Bryce will meet Montanans where they are by allowing for electronic and paper filings - not turning away folks in rural Montana who can’t register electronically

Bryce will use the office’s contact information to help get businesses the tools and information they need to succeed, not more political grandstanding.

Battling Dark Money

When special interest dark money groups came into Montana to try and buy our elections, Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats and led the charge to pass the nation’s leading anti-dark money law, to ensure the only voice that matters on Election Day is Montana voters.

Bryce’s Leadership:

Bryce was a leader in passing the Disclose Act which pulled dark money groups out of the shadows and required that every penny spent in our elections is transparent and accountable to Montana voters.

Bryce is endorsed by End Citizens United, a group dedicated to keeping special interest money out of our elections.

Bryce believes that dark money not only corrupts our elections, but also harms the integrity of democracy by making Montanans doubt their voice matters.

Protecting Access to our Public Lands

Bryce has a long history of protecting access to Montanas public lands. Throughout his career he has fought the special interests who want to transfer our public lands to state ownership or sell them off to the highest bidder. Bryce grew up swimming in Flathead Lake and hiking up Pompey’s Pillar and will always ensure we keep our public lands in public hands.

Bryce’s Leadership:

Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats to push legislation that would put heavy fines on out-of-staters who put up gates and barbed wire to try to block our public access.

Bryce is endorsed by the Montana Sportsmen's Alliance because he is the only candidate in this race that will protect access for hunters and anglers.

Bryce will be an advocate for public access on the Land Board and will bring private landowners to the table to ensure we can open up more areas to hike, hunt, fish, and explore.

Bipartisan Leadership

Bryce Bennett has worked with Republicans and Democrats to get things done. Whether it was protecting healthcare for over 90,000 Montanans, passing the nations strongest anti-dark money legislation, or protecting your private data as a founder of the bipartisan Privacy Caucus, Bryce always puts Montana’s ahead of partisan politics.

Bryce’s Leadership:

Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass Medicaid expansion in 2015 and protect it from expiring in 2019. This work ensured over 90,000 Montanans could keep their healthcare and kept our rural hospitals open.

Bryce was a leader in passing the Disclose Act which pulled dark money groups out of the shadows and required that every penny spent in our elections is transparent and accountable to Montana voters.

Bryce was a co-founder of the Montana Privacy Caucus - a bipartisan group of legislators who have successfully passed bills to defend your private data from government or corporate overreach.

Bryce has reached across the aisle to secure millions of dollars of funding to fix roads and bridges, support our schools, and repair vital water systems.

A Strong, Secure Democracy

The Secretary of State is the defender of our democracy. Bryce has passed bipartisan bill after bipartisan bill to make sure our elections are more secure, accessible, and stronger than ever before. From fixing our broken vote by mail system to making sure rural Montanans had a say in Montana’s future, Bryce will always make sure that every voice is heard and every vote is counted.

Bryce’s Leadership:

Bryce passed legislation to ensure folks from rural Montana no longer had to travel hundreds of miles just to drop off a ballot.

When our broken election system was hemorrhaging voters off the vote by mail list after each election, Bryce came up with a solution that got fixed the problem and got ballots into the hands of 72,000 Montana voters who would have been left out.

Bryce got his start registering voters in knee deep snow and pouring rain to help ensure everyone has a say in Montana’s future. He registered Republicans, Democrats, and Independents - party didn’t matter - because he believed then as he does now that all Montanans deserve to have their voices heard on Election Day.

Bryce has fought the out of touch politicians pushing a voter suppression agenda that want to silence your ability to have a say in Montana’s future.^[4]

”

—Bryce Bennett’s campaign website (2020)^[5]

Campaign finance summary

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.

Christi Jacobsen campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Montana District 1	On the Ballot primary	$0	N/A**
2024	Montana Secretary of State	Won general	$282,163	$0
Grand total			$282,163	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Election 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
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Officeholder

Montana Secretary of State

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Facebook, "Christi Jacobsen," accessed January 26, 2021
↑ Christi Jacobsen, "About Christi," accessed January 26, 2021
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 8, 2024
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Bryce Bennett’s 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 2, 2020

Political offices
Preceded by Corey Stapleton (R)	Montana Secretary of State 2021-Present	Succeeded by -

[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)

[bio-1] Facebook, "Christi Jacobsen," accessed January 26, 2021

[bio2-2] Christi Jacobsen, "About Christi," accessed January 26, 2021

[3] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 8, 2024

[quotedisclaimer-4] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[5] Bryce Bennett’s 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 2, 2020

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Christi Jacobsen

Biography

Political career

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House Montana District 1

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 1

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian Party primary

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Montana Secretary of State

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State

Libertarian primary election

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Montana Secretary of State

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2020

Campaign website

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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