Montana 2018 Election Results

Montana held its general election on November 6, 2018, deciding 125 legislative seats and 2 statewide offices. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Democrats gained a few seats, but Republicans kept majorities in both chambers, extending divided government with Gov. Steve Bullock (D) into a 2019 session where Medicaid expansion was due to expire.
• The night's biggest fight was I-185, which would have raised tobacco taxes and made Medicaid expansion permanent. Voters rejected it after tobacco companies poured more than $17 million into the most expensive initiative campaign in state history, so expansion would end unless lawmakers renewed it. Rep. Greg Hertz (R), elected House Speaker a week later, said the vote "basically enables the sunset provision" and that Republicans would look at work requirements and asset tests.
• Republicans held both Public Service Commission seats on the ballot: Brad Johnson (R) won another term in District 5, and Randy Pinocci (R) took the open District 1 seat.
• Democrats won most of the 7 legislative seats that changed party, and 3 Republican incumbents lost:
  • Senate: Tom Jacobson (D) flipped SD-11, the seat Sen. Ed Buttrey (R) left for the House; Buttrey had sponsored the 2015 law that expanded Medicaid. Pat Flowers (D) unseated Sen. Jedediah Hinkle (R) in SD-32.
  • House: Democrats flipped HD-65 (Chris Pope (D)), and Tom Winter (D) and Jasmine Krotkov (D) unseated Reps. Adam Hertz (R) in HD-96 and Jeremy Trebas (R) in HD-25. Republicans answered by flipping HD-21, where Buttrey won and went on to carry a Republican expansion bill in 2019, and HD-93 (Joe Read (R)).
  • Close calls: beyond the flips, 4 races were decided by less than two percentage points, including two House seats Republicans held by fewer than 20 votes each, HD-22 (Lola Sheldon-Galloway (R)) and HD-51 (Frank Fleming (R)).
• Voters split the 4 statewide measures. Along with I-185, they rejected I-186, which would have tightened cleanup requirements for new hard-rock mines, after an industry-led campaign against it. They passed LR-128, renewing the six-mill property tax levy that funds the university system, and LR-129, limiting who may collect another voter's ballot.

Legislature

• House (100 seats): 41 D, 59 R before the election, 42 D, 58 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
• Senate (50 seats): 18 D, 32 R before the election, 20 D, 30 R after; control stayed with Republicans.

Statewide races

Legislative races

Ballot measures