Election Results
In the 2024 presidential election, Montana backed the Republican ticket with about 58.4% of the vote versus 38.2% for Democrats, carrying its 4 electoral votes.
Democratic presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
Republican presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican vote share (%) | 58.4 | 49.8 |
- •Montana has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1996 except one wave-year exception.
Governors
Montana's governor is Greg Gianforte, a Republican first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, ending eight years of Democratic control.
| Governor | Party | In office |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Gianforte | Republican | 2021–present |
| Brian Schweitzer | Democratic | 2005–2013 |
| Judy Martz | Republican | 2001–2005 |
| Marc Racicot | Republican | 1993–2001 |
| Stan Stephens | Republican | 1989–1993 |
| Ted Schwinden | Democratic | 1981–1989 |
| Thomas Lee Judge | Democratic | 1973–1981 |
| Forrest H. Anderson | Democratic | 1969–1973 |
| Tim M. Babcock | Republican | 1962–1969 |
| Donald Grant Nutter | Republican | 1961–1962 |
| John Hugo Aronson | Republican | 1953–1961 |
| John Woodrow Bonner | Democratic | 1949–1953 |
| Samuel Clarence Ford | Republican | 1941–1949 |
| Roy Elmer Ayers | Democratic | 1937–1941 |
| William Elmer Holt | Democratic | 1935–1937 |
| Frank Henry Cooney | Democratic | 1933–1935 |
| John Edward Erickson | Democratic | 1925–1933 |
| Joseph Moore Dixon | Republican | 1921–1925 |
| Samuel Vernon Stewart | Democratic | 1913–1921 |
| Edwin Lee Norris | Democratic | 1908–1913 |
| Robert Burns Smith | Democratic-Populist | 1897–1901 |
| John Ezra Rickards | Republican | 1893–1897 |
Source: National Governors Association, current and former governors.
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Governor party (R=1) | 1 | 0.54 |
- •Greg Gianforte previously served as Montana's only U.S. Representative before winning the governorship in 2020.
Senators
Montana's two U.S. Senators are both Republicans: Steve Daines, serving since 2015, and Tim Sheehy, elected in 2024.
Democratic vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse). Regular-term races; special elections only when no regular race was held. Independents (e.g. caucusing with Democrats) are not counted as Democratic; years without a Democratic nominee are omitted.
Republican vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Senate seats | 2 | 53 |
- •Tim Sheehy's 2024 win ended Jon Tester's 18-year Senate tenure, giving Montana two Republican senators for the first time in over a decade.
Representatives
Montana has 2 U.S. House seats following the 2020 census reapportionment, both held by Republicans Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing as of 2024.
U.S. House seats apportioned to Montana
1910–2020U.S. Census Bureau, decennial apportionment counts.
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. House seats | 2 | 1 |
- •Montana regained a second U.S. House seat in 2022 after population growth pushed it past the reapportionment threshold.
Voting Trends
Montana voter turnout reached about 64% of eligible voters in 2024, and the state has trended more Republican in presidential races over the past two decades.
Total votes cast for president
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Voter turnout (%) | 64 | 62.8 |
- •Montana has elected Democratic governors and U.S. senators even while backing Republican presidential candidates in the same cycles.
Party Distribution
Republicans hold a supermajority in the Montana Legislature, controlling about 34 of 50 Senate seats and 68 of 100 House seats as of 2024.
| Indicator | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| State House GOP seats (%) | 68 | 54 |
- •Montana Republicans hold veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature.