# 2020 Montana gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 2020 Montana gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the next governor of Montana, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives and various state and local elections. It resulted in voters selecting Greg Gianforte over Mike Cooney. Incumbent Democratic governor Steve Bullock was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term in office, and he ran unsuccessfully for Montana's Class II Senate seat.
Bullock's lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, was the Democratic nominee, while the Republican nominee was Montana's at-large representative Greg Gianforte, who won the election, making him the first Republican governor of Montana since Judy Martz left office in 2005. This was the only gubernatorial seat to change partisan control in the 2020 elections. This election marked the first time since the 1920s that Republicans controlled all state constitutional offices and a majority of the Legislature.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Mike Cooney, Lieutenant Governor of Montana and former Secretary of State of Montana and candidate in 2000
** Running mate: Casey Schreiner, Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives

#### Eliminated in primary

* Whitney Williams, businesswoman and daughter of former U.S. Representative Pat Williams
** Running mate: Buzz Mattelin, farmer and president of the National Barley Growers Association

#### Withdrawn

* Reilly Neill, former state representative
* Casey Schreiner, Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives (running for Lieutenant Governor)

#### Declined

* Ryan Busse, businessman
* Wilmot Collins, Mayor of Helena and former 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate
* John Heenan, attorney and candidate for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2018
* Michael Punke, writer and former U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization
* Brian Schweitzer, former Governor of Montana (endorsed Williams)
* Kathleen Williams, former state representative and nominee for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2018 (running for the U.S. House)

### Endorsements

Statewide politicians
* Jacob Bachmeier, state representative
* Mary Ann Dunwell, state representative
* Moffie Funk, state representative
* Steve Bullock, incumbent Governor of Montana and former candidate for President in 2020
Federal politicians
* Jon Tester, U.S. Senator (MT)
Organizations
* AFL–CIO Montana
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 190
Statewide politicians
* Brian Schweitzer, former Governor of Montana
Local politicians
* John Engen, Mayor of Missoula
Organizations
* EMILY's List

### Polling

Polls with a sample size of <100 have their sample size entries marked in red to indicate a lack of reliability.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mike Cooney | Reilly Neill | Casey Schreiner | Whitney Williams | Other / Undecided |
| Montana State University Billings | October 7–16, 2019 | 40 (LV) | – | 19% | 2% | 6% | 11% | 62% |

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Mike Cooney | 81,527 | 54.86% |
| | Democratic | Whitney Williams | 67,066 | 45.14% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 148,593 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Greg Gianforte, incumbent U.S. Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district and nominee for Governor of Montana in 2016
   * Running mate: Kristen Juras, businesswoman and attorney

#### Eliminated in primary

* Tim Fox, Attorney General of Montana
   * Running mate: Jon Knokey, former state representative
* Albert Olszewski, state senator and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018
   * Running mate: Kenneth Bogner, state senator

#### Withdrawn

* Gary Perry, former state senator
* Corey Stapleton, Secretary of State of Montana, candidate for Governor of Montana in 2012 and candidate for the U.S. House in 2014 (running for the U.S. House)
* Pete Ziehli

#### Declined

* Matt Rosendale, Montana State Auditor and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018 (running for the U.S. House)
* Ryan Zinke, former United States Secretary of Interior and former U.S. Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district

### Endorsements

Individuals
* Donald Trump Jr., businessman, son of President Donald Trump
Organizations
* Crow Tribe of Montana
* Susan B. Anthony List

### Polling

Polls with a sample size of <100 have their sample size entries marked in red to indicate a lack of reliability.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Fox | Greg Gianforte | Albert Olszewski | Other / Undecided |
| Montana State University Billings | October 7–16, 2019 | 99 (LV) | – | 25% | 33% | 9% | 32% |
| Gravis Marketing | August 28–30, 2019 | 433 (RV) | ± 4.7% | 29% | 56% | 15% | – |
| Moore Information | July 7–10, 2019 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 17% | 56% | 5% | 23% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Greg Gianforte | 119,247 | 53.44% |
| | Republican | Tim Fox | 60,823 | 27.26% |
| | Republican | Albert Olszewski | 43,080 | 19.30% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 223,150 | 100.00% |

## Other candidates
### Libertarian Party
#### Nominee

* Lyman Bishop, founder and CEO of Hoplite Armor
** Running mate: John Nesper

#### Withdrawn

* Ron Vandevender, nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016 and nominee for governor in 2012

### Green Party
#### Disqualified

* Robert Barb
** Running mate: Joshua Thomas

#### Results

Green primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Green | Robert Barb | 713 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 713 | 100.0% |

## General election
### Debate

| Host | Date & Time | Link(s) | Participants | Participants |
| Host | Date & Time | Link(s) | Mike Cooney (D) | Greg Gianforte (R) |
| Montana PBS | October 6, 2020 6:00pm MDT | | Present | Present |

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | October 23, 2020 |
| Inside Elections | Tossup | October 28, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean R (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
| Politico | Lean R (flip) | November 2, 2020 |
| Daily Kos | Lean R (flip) | October 28, 2020 |
| RCP | Tossup | November 2, 2020 |
| 270towin | Tossup | November 2, 2020 |

### Endorsements

Statewide and local politicians
* Jacob Bachmeier, state representative
* Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana and former candidate for President in 2020
* Mary Ann Dunwell, state representative
* Moffie Funk, state representative
Federal politicians
* Jon Tester, U.S. Senator (MT)
Organizations
* AFL–CIO Montana
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 190
* Montana Federation of Public Employees
U.S. Presidents
* Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States
Individuals
* Donald Trump Jr., businessman, son of President Donald Trump
Organizations
* Crow Tribe of Montana
* Susan B. Anthony List

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mike Cooney (D) | Greg Gianforte (R) | Other / Undecided |
| Change Research | October 29 – November 2, 2020 | 920 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 44% | 48% | 6% |
| Montana State University Billings | October 19–24, 2020 | 546 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 45% | 45% | 11% |
| Siena College/NYT Upshot | October 18–20, 2020 | 758 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 44% | 48% | 8% |
| Strategies 360/NBCMT | October 15–20, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 41% | 48% | 11% |
| RMG Research/PoliticalIQ | October 15–18, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 45% | 48% | 5% |
| RMG Research/PoliticalIQ | October 15–18, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 47% | 46% | 5% |
| RMG Research/PoliticalIQ | October 15–18, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 50% | 5% |
| Emerson College | October 4–7, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 41% | 54% | 5% |
| Montana State University Bozeman | September 14 – October 2, 2020 | 1,605 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 42% | 47% | 11% |
| Siena College/NYT Upshot | September 14–16, 2020 | 625 (LV) | ± 4.8% | 39% | 45% | 16% |
| Global Strategy Group (D) | August 18–23, 2020 | 600 (LV) | – | 46% | 47% | – |
| Emerson College | July 31 – August 2, 2020 | 584 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 41% | 50% | 10% |
| Civiqs/Daily Kos | July 11–13, 2020 | 873 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 44% | 47% | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 9–10, 2020 | 1,224 (V) | ± 2.8% | 42% | 46% | 12% |
| University of Montana | June 17–26, 2020 | 517 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 36% | 46% | 18% |
| The Progress Campaign (D) | April 14–21, 2020 | 1,712 (RV) | ± 4.6% | 41% | 43% | 16% |
with Mike Cooney, Tim Fox, Greg Gianforte, Albert Olszewski, Ron Vandevender and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates | Ron Vandevender (L) |
| University of Montana | February 12–22, 2020 | 498 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 35.1% | 61.7% | 1.3% |
with Mike Cooney, Tim Fox, Greg Gianforte, Reilly Neill, Albert Olszewski, Gary Perry, Casey Schreiner and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates |
| University of Montana | September 26 – October 3, 2019 | 303 (RV) | ± 5.6% | 40% | 60.1% |
with Tim Fox, Matt Rosendale, Corey Stapleton, Kathleen Williams and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates | Other / Undecided |
| University of Montana | February 21 – March 1, 2019 | 293 (RV) | ± 5.7% | 32.4% | 48.4% | 19.2% |

### Results

2020 Montana gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Greg GianforteKristen Juras | 328,548 | 54.43% | +8.08% |
| | Democratic | Mike CooneyCasey Schreiner | 250,860 | 41.56% | −8.69% |
| | Libertarian | Lyman BishopJohn Nesper | 24,179 | 4.01% | +0.61% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 603,587 | 100.00% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 612,075 | 81.33% | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 752,538 | | |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

#### By county

| County | Greg Gianforte Kristen Juras Republican | Greg Gianforte Kristen Juras Republican | Mike Cooney Casey Schreiner Democratic | Mike Cooney Casey Schreiner Democratic | Lyman Bishop John Nesper Libertarian | Lyman Bishop John Nesper Libertarian | Margin | Margin | Total votes |
| County | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | Total votes |
| Beaverhead | 66.81% | 3,779 | 29.49% | 1,668 | 3.70% | 209 | 39.32% | 2,111 | 5,656 |
| Big Horn | 43.35% | 2,078 | 52.42% | 2,513 | 4.23% | 203 | -9.07% | -445 | 4,794 |
| Blaine | 43.79% | 1,365 | 51.94% | 1,619 | 4.27% | 133 | -8.15% | -254 | 3,117 |
| Broadwater | 73.97% | 3,032 | 22.64% | 928 | 3.39% | 139 | 51.33% | 2,104 | 4,099 |
| Carbon | 60.81% | 4,303 | 35.30% | 2,498 | 3.89% | 275 | 25.51% | 1,805 | 7,076 |
| Carter | 87.28% | 748 | 10.62% | 91 | 2.10% | 18 | 76.66% | 657 | 857 |
| Cascade | 55.79% | 22,221 | 39.97% | 15,922 | 4.24% | 1,689 | 15.82% | 6,299 | 39,832 |
| Chouteau | 61.10% | 1,816 | 35.26% | 1,048 | 3.63% | 108 | 25.84% | 768 | 2,972 |
| Custer | 67.66% | 3,971 | 27.59% | 1,619 | 4.75% | 279 | 40.07% | 2,352 | 5,869 |
| Daniels | 76.11% | 768 | 21.51% | 217 | 2.38% | 24 | 54.60% | 551 | 1,009 |
| Dawson | 73.02% | 3,524 | 23.29% | 1,124 | 3.69% | 178 | 49.73% | 2,400 | 4,826 |
| Deer Lodge | 38.60% | 1,881 | 56.37% | 2,747 | 5.03% | 245 | -17.77% | -866 | 4,873 |
| Fallon | 82.83% | 1,288 | 14.02% | 218 | 3.15% | 49 | 68.81% | 1,070 | 1,555 |
| Fergus | 72.89% | 4,737 | 24.11% | 1,567 | 3.00% | 195 | 48.78% | 3,170 | 6,499 |
| Flathead | 62.20% | 37,213 | 34.08% | 20,387 | 3.72% | 2,225 | 28.12% | 16,826 | 59,825 |
| Gallatin | 44.21% | 31,368 | 51.85% | 36,788 | 3.94% | 2,800 | 7.64% | 5,420 | 70,956 |
| Garfield | 92.37% | 751 | 5.91% | 48 | 1.72% | 14 | 86.46% | 703 | 813 |
| Glacier | 30.07% | 1,709 | 65.62% | 3,730 | 4.31% | 245 | -35.55% | -2,021 | 5,684 |
| Golden Valley | 81.31% | 409 | 15.91% | 80 | 2.78% | 14 | 65.40% | 329 | 503 |
| Granite | 64.37% | 1,348 | 31.47% | 659 | 4.16% | 87 | 32.90% | 689 | 2,094 |
| Hill | 50.72% | 3,642 | 43.81% | 3,146 | 5.47% | 393 | 6.91% | 496 | 7,181 |
| Jefferson | 62.39% | 5,097 | 34.17% | 2,791 | 3.44% | 281 | 28.22% | 2,306 | 8,169 |
| Judith Basin | 75.56% | 1,017 | 20.88% | 281 | 3.56% | 48 | 54.68% | 746 | 1,346 |
| Lake | 53.73% | 8,913 | 41.50% | 6,885 | 4.77% | 791 | 12.23% | 2,028 | 16,589 |
| Lewis and Clark | 47.05% | 19,969 | 49.54% | 21,022 | 3.41% | 1,448 | -2.49% | -1,053 | 42,439 |
| Liberty | 72.76% | 788 | 24.75% | 268 | 2.49% | 27 | 48.01% | 520 | 1,083 |
| Lincoln | 70.74% | 8,279 | 25.64% | 3,001 | 3.62% | 424 | 45.10% | 5,278 | 11,704 |
| Madison | 65.57% | 3,992 | 30.83% | 1,877 | 3.60% | 219 | 34.74% | 2,115 | 6,088 |
| McCone | 82.45% | 921 | 14.77% | 165 | 2.78% | 31 | 67.68% | 756 | 1,117 |
| Meagher | 74.01% | 823 | 23.02% | 256 | 2.97% | 33 | 50.99% | 567 | 1,112 |
| Mineral | 67.20% | 1,715 | 27.67% | 706 | 5.13% | 131 | 39.53% | 1,009 | 2,552 |
| Missoula | 35.55% | 25,448 | 60.67% | 43,426 | 3.78% | 2,706 | -25.12% | -17,978 | 71,580 |
| Musselshell | 80.77% | 2,318 | 15.68% | 450 | 3.55% | 102 | 65.09% | 1,868 | 2,870 |
| Park | 50.07% | 5,798 | 46.32% | 5,364 | 3.61% | 418 | 3.75% | 434 | 11,580 |
| Petroleum | 85.43% | 299 | 12.57% | 44 | 2.00% | 7 | 72.86% | 255 | 350 |
| Phillips | 80.40% | 1,908 | 17.36% | 412 | 2.24% | 53 | 63.04% | 1,496 | 2,373 |
| Pondera | 66.10% | 1,981 | 30.43% | 912 | 3.47% | 104 | 35.67% | 1,069 | 2,997 |
| Powder River | 83.53% | 943 | 14.35% | 162 | 2.12% | 24 | 69.18% | 781 | 1,129 |
| Powell | 69.41% | 2,212 | 26.64% | 849 | 3.95% | 126 | 42.77% | 1,363 | 3,187 |
| Prairie | 74.52% | 544 | 21.92% | 160 | 3.56% | 26 | 52.60% | 384 | 730 |
| Ravalli | 65.11% | 18,557 | 31.17% | 8,883 | 3.72% | 1,063 | 33.94% | 9,674 | 28,503 |
| Richland | 78.31% | 4,506 | 17.67% | 1,017 | 4.02% | 231 | 60.64% | 3,489 | 5,754 |
| Roosevelt | 46.39% | 1,859 | 48.94% | 1,961 | 4.67% | 187 | -2.55% | -102 | 4,007 |
| Rosebud | 63.06% | 2,363 | 32.99% | 1,236 | 3.95% | 148 | 30.07% | 1,127 | 3,747 |
| Sanders | 70.47% | 5,346 | 24.65% | 1,870 | 4.88% | 370 | 45.82% | 3,476 | 7,586 |
| Sheridan | 64.48% | 1,300 | 31.45% | 634 | 4.07% | 82 | 33.03% | 666 | 2,016 |
| Silver Bow | 34.57% | 6,490 | 61.23% | 11,495 | 4.20% | 788 | -26.66% | -5,005 | 18,773 |
| Stillwater | 74.96% | 4,292 | 22.06% | 1,263 | 2.98% | 171 | 52.90% | 3,029 | 5,726 |
| Sweet Grass | 73.57% | 1,801 | 22.59% | 553 | 3.84% | 94 | 50.98% | 1,248 | 2,448 |
| Teton | 67.76% | 2,497 | 28.58% | 1,053 | 3.66% | 135 | 39.18% | 1,444 | 3,685 |
| Toole | 73.10% | 1,546 | 22.13% | 468 | 4.78% | 101 | 50.97% | 1,078 | 2,115 |
| Treasure | 77.82% | 358 | 19.35% | 89 | 2.83% | 13 | 58.47% | 269 | 460 |
| Valley | 68.24% | 2,899 | 27.83% | 1,182 | 3.93% | 167 | 40.41% | 1,717 | 4,248 |
| Wheatland | 72.36% | 767 | 23.68% | 251 | 3.96% | 42 | 48.68% | 516 | 1,060 |
| Wibaux | 79.49% | 465 | 17.95% | 105 | 2.56% | 15 | 61.54% | 360 | 585 |
| Yellowstone | 57.03% | 48,586 | 36.57% | 31,152 | 6.40% | 5453 | 20.46% | 17,434 | 85,191 |
| Total | 54.43% | 328,548 | 41.56% | 250,860 | 4.01% | 24,179 | 12.87% | 77,688 | 603,587 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
* Cascade (largest city: Great Falls)
* Hill (largest city: Havre)
* Lake (largest city: Polson)
* Park (largest city: Livingston)