MONTANA 3 Electoral Votes 
link to
                  clickable map
Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, MT Secretary of State)
Total Resident Population, July 1, 2016                        1,042,520
Total Registration, Nov. 2016                                               694,370
Montana has: 56 counties,126 incorporated cities and towns.
Largest counties: Yellowstone, Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead, Cascade.
Largest cities: Billings, Missoula, Great Falls. 

Government
Governor: Steve Bullock (D) elected in 2012; seeking re-election in 2016.
State Legislature: Montana Legislature   House: 100 seats  Senate: 50 seats
Local: Counties, Cities and Towns, Native American   NACO
U.S. House: 1R - Ryan Zinke (R)
U.S. Senate: Steve Daines (R) elected in 2014, Jon Tester (D) re-elected in 2012. 
2016
Governor: Gov. Steve Bullock (D)/Mike Cooney, seeking a second term, defeated entrepreneur Greg Gianforte (R)/Lesley Robinson and businessman Ted Dunlap (L) /Ron Vandevender by 255,933 votes (50.25%) to 236,115 (46.36%) and 17,312 (3.40%). [509,360]
U.S. House: Freshman Rep. Ryan Zinke (R) defeated State Superintendent of Public Education Denise Juneau (D) and Rick Breckenridge (L)
by 285,358 votes to 205,919 and 16,554.
State Legislature: All 100 House seats and 25 of 50 Senate seats were up.  The balance in the House remained at 59R, 41D; Republicans strengthened their majority in the Senate, going from 29R, 20D and 1v to 32R, 18D.
Ballot Measures: Montanans approved a constitutional initiative on victims' rights; rejected statutory initiatives to prohibit the use of traps and snares, and
promot medical research; and approved a statutory initiative to expand access to medical marijuana.  > 
Post-Election: On Dec. 13 President-elect Trump announced U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke as his choice for Secretary of the Interior.  The Senate confirmed Zinke on Mar. 1, 2018 by a vote of 68-31.

 Montana Online
Secretary of State

MT Democratic Party
MT Libertarian Party
MT Republican Party
Green Party of MT
Constitution Party of MT

Billings Gazette
Newspapers
TV, Radio

Montana Cowgirl Blog

Politics1-MT
Ballotpedia-MT


Big Sky Country
General Election -- Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Voting Eligible Population*: 804,381.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 61.8%.


Regular Registration Deadline
: Oct. 11, 2016.
Late Registration: Begins Oct. 12, 2016.
Official Results 1, 2

 
De la Fuente/Steinberg (AmD.)
1,570
(0.32)
Clinton/Kaine (Dem.)
177,709
(35.75)
Stein/Baraka (Grn.)
7,970
(1.60)
Johnson/Weld (Lib.)
28,037
(5.64)
+Trump/Pence (Rep.)
279,240
(56.16)
McMullin (w/in)
2,297
(0.46)
more w/ins
324
(0.07)
Total........497,147

Turnout 516,901
Overview: The Republican ticket has carried Montana since Bill Clinton won in 1992, although Barack Obama made it close in 2008 with an intense effort.  Trump-Pence won with a plurality of 101,531 votes (20.41 percentage points), carrying 50 counties to six for Clinton-Kaine (Big Horn, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Glacier, Missoula, and Silver Bow).  None of the presidential candidates, major or minor, visited Montana in the Fall.
Clinton  |  (Trump)
BALLOT [PDF]

Presidential Preference Primary -- Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Registered Voters: 648,764.   Votes Cast: 293,548...   Turnout: 45.25%.
The presidential preference primary was held the same day as the state primary.
Democrats
27 Delegates: 15 District, 4 At-Large, 2 PLEO, 6 Unpledged.

details

Republicans
27 Delegates: 3 RNC; 21 at-large; 3 by CD (3 x 1 CD). 



General Election Winners in Montana, 1992-2012
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Clinton
37.63%
Dole
44.11%
Bush
58.44%
Bush
59.07%
McCain
49.53%
Romney
55.36%
  and the details...
 
General Election -- Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting Eligible Population*: 773,147.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 62.6%.


Absentees sent: 
314,329
Absentees rec'd: 289,920 (92.23%)
Total Votes: 491,966
Absentees received as a percentage of total  votes 58.93%.
Official Results >

 
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
201,839
(41.71)
Johnson/Gray (Lib).
14,165
(2.93)
+Romney/Ryan (Rep.)
267,928
(55.36)
Total........483,932

total votes cast 491,966
2012 Overview
The Romney/Ryan ticket won with a plurality of 66,089 votes (13.65 percentage points), carrying 48 counties to eight for Obama/Biden (Big Horn, Blaine, Deer Lodge, Glacier, Hill, Missoula, Roosevelt and Silver Bow).  None of the Democratic principals visited during the fall campaign; Mitt Romney attended a fundraiser in Hamilton on July 11; Jim Gray attended a meet and greet in Corvallis on Aug. 20 and did rallies in Bozeman on Oct. 31 and Dillon and Missoula on Nov. 1.
Obama  |  (Romney)
BALLOT [PDF]

General Election -- Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Voting Eligible Population*: 741,538.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 66.3%.


Total Registration: 668,085.

                        Official Results >


Paul/Peroutka (Const.)
10,638
(2.17)
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
231,667
(47.27)
Nader/Gonzalez (Ind.)
3,686
(0.75)
Barr/Root (Lib.)
1,355
(0.28)
+McCain/Palin (Rep.)
242,763
(49.53)
Total........490,109


497,599 total votes cast.

2008 Overview
In the face of an intense effort from the Obama campaign, the McCain/Palin ticket largely ignored Montana and still won the state by a thin margin of 11,096 votes (2.26 percentage points).  McCain/Palin carried 43 counties to 13 for Obama/Biden. 
General Election Details
Obama/Allies  |  McCain/Allies  |  Nader

General Election -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Voting Eligible Population*: 699,114.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 64.4%.

Total Registration:  638,474.


Peroutka/Baldwin (Const.)
1,764
(0.39)
Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
173,710
(38.57)
Cobb/LaMarche (Grn.) 996 (0.22)
Nader/Sanchirico (Ind.) 6,168
(1.37)
Badnarik/Campagna (Lib.)
1,733
(0.38)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
266,063
(59.07)
Total........450,434
 




456,096 total votes cast
649 polling places ... 856 precincts
2004 Overview
The Bush-Cheney ticket won with a plurality of 93,353 votes (20.50 percentage points), carrying 51 of the 56 counties.  Kerry won in Missoula, Silver Bow, Glacier, Big Horn and Roosevelt Counties. 

In terms of campaign activity, Kerry's younger sister Diana visited the state July and mid-October.  Nader campaigned at the University of Montana in Missoula on Sept. 5 and Cobb appeared in Great Falls on Aug. 10.  First Lady Laura Bush vacationed at Glacier Park in July.  Also of note, former Montana Governor Marc Racicot chaired the Bush campaign.

General Election -- Tuesday, November 7, 2000
Voting Eligible Population*: 667,525.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 61.6%.

Total Registration: 698,260.



Browne/Olivier (Lib.)
 1,718
 (0.42)
Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)
 5,697
(1.39)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
240,178
(58.44)
Gore/Lieberman (Dem.)
137,126
(33.37)
Hagelin/Goldhaber (NLP)
675
(0.16)
Nader/LaDuke (Grn.)
24,437
(5.95)
Phillips/Frazier (Const.)
1,155
 (0.28)
Forrest C. Laible (w/in)
11
Total........410,997

Total votes cast: 417,916

2000 Overview
Montana, a very close state with Perot on the ballot in 1992 and 1996, went to Bush by a wide margin in 2000.  The Bush-Cheney ticket won with a plurality of  103,052 votes (25.07 percentage points), carrying all but 4 of the state's 56 counties.  The state did see a number of closely fought races, however.  In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Conrad Burns (R) defeated Brian Schweitzer (D) 51% to 47%.  In the U.S. House race, Dennis Rehberg (R) defeated Nancy Keenan (D) 51% to 46%.  In the governor's race, Judy Martz and Karl Ohs (R) defeated Mark O'Keefe and Carol Williams (D) 51% to 47%.

1992 and 1996 General Elections

1992
Clinton (Dem.)........154,507 (37.63)
Bush (Rep.)...........144,207 (35.12)
Perot (Ind.).............107,225  (26.11)
Others (2+2 w/ins).....4,672
(1.14)
Total........410,611
1996
Dole (Rep.).............179,652 (44.11)
Clinton (Dem.)........167,992 (41.23)
Perot (Ref.)..............55,229 (13.56)
Others (2+4 w/ins)......4,458
(1.09)
Total........407,261
Archive Pages: 2012 | 2008 | 2004 | 2000