HELENA — Republican candidates appear likely to have swept statewide offices up and down the ballot by overwhelming margins as of Wednesday morning, nearing 20 points in some contests. With 62% of precincts reporting, the GOP looks poised to have a lock on all five of the major statewide races that sit on the state Land Board. This sweep comes as the Associated Press called the race for U.
S. Senate in favor of Republican challenger Tim Sheehy against three-term incumbent Democrat Jon Tester. Four years ago, Republicans also dominated the statewide races, winning all five contests.
Tuesday night's election results show that trend of GOP dominance continuing. Numbers below are from unofficial election results reported by the Montana Secretary of State's Office. Republican Gov.
Greg Gianforte has fended off a challenge from Democrat Ryan Busse to secure a second term. The Associated Press called the race almost as soon as polls closed at 8 p.m.
on Tuesday, even though very low percentages of votes had been counted. By Wednesday morning, Gianforte had 60% of the vote to Busse's 38%. Gianforte's campaign relied heavily on a message of economic prosperity, while Busse focused much of his bid on blaming the Republican governor for the massive rise in property taxes Montanans saw last year.
Polling through the race showed Gianforte with a consistent large lead, even as some metrics flagged concerns about how voters felt about his job performance. "I reaffirm to you that I will continue to serve all Montanans because I truly believe that we have more in common than separates us," Gianforte said to a crowd of supporters at a watch party in Bozeman. This marked Gianforte's third bid for the office, he first ran unsuccessfully in 2016 and then won the seat in 2020 after serving in the U.
S. House. Over his first term in office, he succeeded in reducing the top income tax rate from 6.
9% to 5.9%, and he wants to reduce it further in 2025. He's also called for lawmakers to pass a homestead exemption act that would favor Montana residents and long-term renters to counter the roughly 20% statewide property tax increase Montanans saw last year.
Busse's campaign laid that property tax spike at Gianforte's feet, saying he was negligent in not passing a bill that previous governors from both parties had approved to adjust the rates different classes of properties are taxed at to hold payments flat. He also hammered Gianforte over bills the Republican signed that would have limited abortion access in Montana. In an emailed statement Wednesday morning, Busse congratulated Gianforte and his running mate, Lt.
Gov. Kristen Juras. "We wish them the best as they lead Montana in the years ahead," Busse and his running mate Raph Graybill said in the statement.
"It is a high honor to fight for the Montana we love and for a future worth handing down to our kids. We were inspired by the many Montanans whose lives and livelihoods have changed in recent years. We fought for freedom and privacy, for public lands and for lower taxes.
To all Montanans who supported us along the way: thank you. Getting your Montana back is still more important than ever." "I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far but we have more work to do," Gianforte said.
As of Wednesday morning with 62% of precincts reporting, Republican Susie Hedalen led Democrat Shannon O'Brien, a state senator from Missoula, in the race for superintendent of public instruction. Hedalen, the current superintendent in Townsend, ran on a platform of putting a superintendent in the superintendent's office. O'Brien's campaign message emphasized the need for a change after eight tumultuous years under Republican leadership.
"I am honored by the overwhelming support that Montana voters showed me in this election," Hedalen said in an emailed statement. "This was my first run for political office. I'm a lifelong educator, not a politician.
As your next state superintendent, I am committed to honoring families and teachers, ensuring school safety, and expanding educational opportunities for Montana students. I want to thank the families, educators, and all Montana voters who helped make this campaign successful. I look forward to getting to work for them on day one.
" The superintendent of the Office of Public Instruction oversees Montana's nearly 400 school districts. Under outgoing superintendent Republican Elsie Arntzen, the office has been characterized by significant staff turnover, a hemorrhage of institutional knowledge and dysfunction that has trickled down to school administrators at the local level, making it difficult for them to keep up with changing mandates and unclear instruction, previous reporting shows. O'Brien made the case – ultimately unsuccessfully – to voters that it was time for a change, and putting a Democrat into office would ensure that the next four years didn't look like the last eight.
"It has been an honor to travel around our beautiful state and meet with so many students, parents, and teachers that care deeply about our public schools," O'Brien said in a statement. "Unfortunately we came up short but I wish Susie the best as she takes on the challenges our kids and schools are facing." Hedalen will be tasked with turning things around at the state education agency and advocating for public education at the Capitol as lawmakers deal with pressing and persistent problems such as school funding, low teacher pay and the classroom as the site of ongoing culture wars.
Christi Jacobsen, the Republican incumbent from Helena, was leading the race to become Montana's top election official as of Wednesday morning with 62% of precincts reporting. She's up against Democratic challenger Jesse James Mullen, a newspaper owner from Deer Lodge, and Libertarian John Lamb, a farmer and builder from Norris. "Know that I am here to serve you, Montana," Jacobsen said to supporters.
"All Montanans. Together, let's build on this momentum to ensure that Montana remains a shining example of what we can achieve when we protect our freedoms, support our businesses, and honor the values that make this state so special." The Montana secretary of state oversees administering elections, maintains government records and serves as a member of the Montana Land Board.
While in office, Jacobsen has faced criticism for her efforts to keep the abortion ballot measure off the ballot, saying droves of signatures should be considered invalid, and running a business system that possibly overcharged customers. She also sent ballots to Montanans living overseas that did not include the Democratic presidential ticket. Jacobsen has also called for stricter voter ID requirements, a campaign platform her opponents vehemently opposed.
She also touted work she did with business services, saying she worked to reduce bureaucracy and cut fees. Mullen's campaign pushed back on much of what Jacobsen has supported to change elections in Montana. He also said he heard frustrations from businesses and others who have struggled to use the secretary of state's online filing portal.
"I'd like to congratulate Christi. I think she ran a great race," Mullen told the Montana State News Bureau. "My supporters were amazing, and I feel lucky to have been able to work with so many Montanans over the last year-plus.
" Incumbent Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen held a substantial lead as of Wednesday morning over Democratic newcomer and Bozeman attorney Ben Alke. In a brief speech at the Republican election night party in Bozeman, Knudsen praised the work of his Justice Department on the southern border, human trafficking and illegal drugs. "We are just scratching the surface," Knudsen said.
"We've got four more years. I can't tell you how excited I am to work with the Montana Legislature, to work with Gov. Gianforte, to work with Sen.
Daines, Sen. Tim Sheehy, and we're going to send Jon Tester back to his organic farm in Big Sandy." Elected in 2020, Knudsen was an aggressive driver of the Montana Department of Justice and unabashedly partisan in his approach to the role of the top law enforcement official.
Republicans from the state GOP chairman to U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson heralded Knudsen's reputation in conservative circles for punching over his weight.
He touts the 50 lawsuits his office has leveled against the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, from policy at the southern border to federal emissions rules. Knudsen brought that confrontational posture to state-level politics, too. He was accused last year of violating attorney ethics rules by working to undermine public confidence in the judicial branch through public statements and court filings during a critical separation-of-powers dispute in 2021.
Less than two weeks before Election Day, the Commission on Practice panel, a state committee that regulates lawyer ethics, called Knudsen's actions "disingenuous in the extreme" and recommended he be suspended from the practice of law for 90 days. The final decision on Knudsen's discipline has not yet been decided. But the dust-up wasn't enough to convince voters that Alke's vision for the office — one concerned less with partisan fights and more on the impartial administration of law enforcement — was the best.
With about 62% of precincts reporting, Republican James Brown leads the race to become Montana's chief consumer advocate and regulator of the securities and insurance industries over Democrat John Repke, a business executive from Whitefish. Brown is the current president of the Montana Public Service Commission, a lawyer and small business owner. He ran unsuccessfully for the Montana Supreme Court in 2022.
He issued a statement declaring victory on Tuesday based on the early tallies. "Montanans chose to have a rendezvous with destiny, a destiny guided by the small government principles of the Republican Party to keep our Montana, Montana," he said in the statement. The auditor's office can't set prices for insurance companies, but it does review cost changes and has the power to formally challenge rate hikes.
Repke said he felt the next officeholder needed to be more vocal in objecting to price increases to protect the consumer. Brown didn't commit to using reviews more regularly, but said his focus would be on communicating transparently with the public about premium changes and rates so consumers can find the best insurance plan for them. There was no incumbent in the race.
Republican Troy Downing, who was elected to the position in 2020, served a single term before running for higher office in Montana's eastern congressional district. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
