Montana held its general election on November 3, 2020, deciding 125 legislative seats and 9 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans won the governorship and every other statewide office, giving the party unified control of state government for the first time since 2005, and their legislative gains gave them two-thirds of the House.
- U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte (R), in his second bid for governor and with $7.6 million of his own money in the race, beat Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney (D) by about 13 points to succeed term-limited Democrat Steve Bullock. His running mate, Kristen Juras (R), defeated House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner (D). Montana had long split its tickets, but record turnout appears to have benefited Republicans, and Democrats were swept in statewide races for the first time this century.
- All 10 legislative seats that changed hands went from Democrats to Republicans, all but one of them in the House; Democrats did not win a single Republican-held seat. In Cascade County, around Great Falls, every House seat went Republican. Every incumbent who lost was a Democrat:
- Down the ballot, Austin Knudsen (R) won attorney general over Raph Graybill (D), Christi Jacobsen (R) won secretary of state over Bryce Bennett (D), and Troy Downing (R) won state auditor over Shane Morigeau (D). Superintendent Elsie Arntzen (R) was re-elected, and Melissa Romano (D) was the only Democratic statewide candidate to hold her loss to single digits. Republicans also won all three Public Service Commission seats on the ballot, re-electing Tony O'Donnell (R); the closest, District 4, went to Jennifer Fielder (R) over Monica Tranel (D) by about 4 points.
- Beyond the flips, 2 legislative races finished inside two points, both Democratic Senate holds. Sen. Edith McClafferty (D) kept SD 38 by fewer than 60 votes, and challenger Jim Buterbaugh (R) decided against a recount. Rep. Mark Sweeney (D) moved up to SD 39, beating Suzzann Nordwick (R) by fewer than 150 votes. Another 37 legislative races had only one candidate on the ballot.
- Voters approved all 5 statewide measures. I-190 legalized and taxed recreational marijuana, and its companion CI-118 let the state set the legal age at 21; both had to pass for legalization to take effect. LR-130, which bars local governments from regulating firearms, including concealed carry, passed by a comparatively narrow margin for a Republican landslide year. It voided a Missoula ban on guns at polling places and in city parks. C-46 and C-47 updated the constitution's signature-distribution rules for ballot measures to match a 2005 court decision.
Legislature
- House (100 seats): 42 D, 58 R before the election, 33 D, 67 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (50 seats): 20 D, 30 R before the election, 19 D, 31 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| C-46 | Changes language in constitution to match existing initiated amendment distribution requirements | Passed (76.87% yes) |
| C-47 | Changes language in constitution to match existing initiated statute and referendum distribution requirements | Passed (74.56% yes) |
| CI-118 | Authorizes the legislature or a citizen initiative to set a legal age for marijuana purchase, use, and possession | Passed (57.84% yes) |
| I-190 | Legalizes marijuana for individuals over the age of 21 and taxes the sale of non-medical marijuana at a rate of 20 percent | Passed (56.9% yes) |
| LR-130 | Removes local governments' authority to regulate firearms, including regulation of concealed carry | Passed (50.96% yes) |