The MTFP Election Guide: Who’s running in 2020
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
HELENA — Montana voters will have a hefty ballot to consider in 2020, packed with decisions about the U.S. presidential election, two of Montana’s three congressional seats, and five statewide offices including governor.
Even with a year and a half until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, Montana candidates aspiring and declared have begun jockeying for position in primary elections set for June 2, 2020. Keeping track can feel like herding cats. The round-up that follows can help.
Montana Free Press will keep this article updated as new candidates throw their hats in the ring in the coming months. And, hey, if you’re a Montanan planning a run and want to tip us off, send us an email.
Governor
The governor is the state’s chief executive, tasked with overseeing state agencies and proposing state budgets to the Montana Legislature. The governor also holds one of five seats on the Montana Board of Land Commissioners, which has authority over state trust lands.
Current Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, is termed out after two four-year terms in office — and has launched a campaign for president. Democrats have controlled the office since Gov. Brian Schweitzer was first elected in 2004.
Republicans
Announced — Attorney General Tim Fox
Fox, wrapping up his second four-year term as Montana’s attorney general, announced his campaign for governor in January. Originally from Hardin, he has a University of Montana law degree and formerly worked as an attorney in private practice.
Announced — Secretary of State Corey Stapleton
Stapleton, a former state senator, was elected secretary of state in 2016 and made unsuccessful primary bids for governor in 2012 and the U.S. House in 2014. According to MTN News, he has an engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and previously worked as a financial adviser in Billings.
Announced — state Sen. Al Olszewski
Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon and state senator from Kalispell, announced his gubernatorial campaign in April. He previously ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018, placing fourth in the Republican primary.
Filed — Former state Sen. Gary Perry
Perry, of Manhattan, filed as a gubernatorial candidate with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices April 10. He served as a state senator between 2002 and 2010.
Rumored — U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte
Gianforte was the Republican nominee for governor in 2012, but failed to derail Gov. Steve Bullock’s re-election bid. Jumping into politics after founding and selling RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, he was elected to the U.S. House in the 2017 special election and re-elected to a two-year term in 2019. He told the Glasgow Courier in April that he was “seriously considering” another bid for the governor’s office.
Democrats
Rumored — Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Michael Punke
Punke, who served as U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in the Obama administration, is better known in Montana as the author of the novel The Revenant, which was adapted into the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He lives in Missoula and, according to his LinkedIn profile, currently works as a vice president of global public policy for Amazon Web Services.
Punke was named as a potential Democratic Senate or gubernatorial candidate in a May report by Washington, D.C.-outlet Politico, which cited two anonymous sources.
U.S. Senate
Two U.S. senators represent the state in the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., each elected to six-year terms. Montana’s out-of-cycle senator, Democrat Jon Tester, is next up for re-election in 2024.
Republicans
Announced — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines
Daines, who worked for Rep. Greg Gianforte as an executive at the Bozeman company RightNow Technologies, was Montana’s U.S. representative during the 2012 term, and was elected to the Senate in 2014. He has said he plans to seek re-election to a second term in 2020.
Democrats
Announced — Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins
Collins, elected mayor of Helena in 2017, announced his bid for the U.S. Senate May 13. A Liberian refugee, he fled his home country’s civil war in the 1990s, according to the Helena Independent Record. Collins is thought to be Montana’s first black mayor since statehood.
Bullock, who announced his bid for the U.S. presidency May 14, has repeatedly said he’s not interested in running for the U.S. Senate. Even so, some Democrats have urged him to challenge Daines, and with his presidential bid a long shot in a crowded Democratic field, his option to pivot toward the lower office remains.
Rumored — Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Michael Punke
See above.
U.S. House
Montana has a sole delegate in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress.
Republicans
Incumbent — U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte
Gianforte, a tech entrepreneur who founded RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, was elected to the U.S. House in the 2017 special election and re-elected to a two-year term in 2019. While he’s expressed interest in running for Montana governor, he may also choose to seek re-election to Congress.
Democrats
Announced — Former state Rep. Kathleen Williams
Williams, a former state legislator from Bozeman, announced her second run for the U.S. House in April. While she came up 24,000 votes short in her prior attempt to unseat Gianforte in 2018, that margin was closer than any Democrat who has run for Montana’s U.S. House seat in more than a decade.
Announced — state Rep. Tom Winter
Winter, a freshman state representative from Missoula, announced his candidacy in April. He owns home health-care provider Interim HealthCare of Montana, according to Lee Newspapers.
Attorney General
The state’s chief law enforcement and legal officer, the attorney general oversees the state Department of Justice, issues legal opinions interpreting state law and acts as an advocate for the public interest in certain legal proceedings. The attorney general also serves on the state land board.
Incumbent Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican, is term-limited and has announced a run for governor.
Republicans
Announced — Chief Deputy Attorney General Jon Bennion
Bennion, currently a senior staffer in the attorney general’s office, announced his candidacy in February. Originally from Billings, according to Lee Newspapers, he has worked in the AG’s office since 2013.
Democrats
Announced — state Rep. Kim Dudik
Dudik, who currently represents Missoula in the state Legislature, announced her candidacy in December.
Announced — Raph Graybill
Graybill, currently the governor’s chief legal counsel, announced his candidacy in May.
Secretary of State
The secretary of state oversees Montana’s elections and manages state records, as well as serving on the state land board.
Current Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, a Republican, has announced a bid for Governor.
Republicans
Announced – Senate President Scott Sales
Sales, a state senator from Bozeman who has served in the Montana Legislature since 2003, said he would run for secretary of state in March. He served as senate president in the 2017 and 2019 legislative sessions.
Democrats
No candidates to date.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Heading the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the superintendent of public instruction oversees the state’s K-12 school system, much of which is governed directly by locally elected school boards. The superintendent of public instruction also serves on the state land board.
Republicans
Incumbent — Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen
Arntzen, formerly a state legislator from Billings, was elected superintendent of public instruction in 2016. As of May 2019, she hasn’t said whether she’ll seek re-election.
Facebook: facebook.com/SuperintendentElsieArntzen
Democrats
Announced — Melissa Romano
Romano, an award-winning Helena teacher, was the 2018 Democratic nominee for superintendent of public instruction, losing to Arntzen. She said she plans to take another shot at the job in April.
State Auditor
The state auditor, who also serves as commissioner of securities and insurance, runs the office responsible for protecting Montanans from fraud by regulating the insurance and securities industries. The state auditor also serves on the state land board.
Republicans
Incumbent — Matt Rosendale
Rosendale, who challenged U.S. Sen. Jon Tester unsuccessfully in 2018, hasn’t said if he’ll seek re-election as state auditor or run for another office in 2020. A report by MTN News, however, indicates Rosendale may seek the Republican nomination for Montana’s U.S. House seat if current U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte doesn’t run for re-election.
Democrats
No candidates to date.
