Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012

| Montana's 2012 elections

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Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election

Primary Date:
June 5, 2012
General Election Date:
November 6, 2012

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State Executive Elections
State executive official elections in 2012

The Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. The primary election was held on June 5, 2012.

Both Montana's governor, Brian Schweitzer, and his lieutenant governor, John Bohlinger were prevented by term limits from seeking another term in office, leaving both seats open.[1]

In Montana, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a single ticket. In 2012, 11 sets of candidates entered the race: two Democrats, seven Republicans, one Libertarian, and one set of independent candidates. The field was whittled down to four after the two major parties selected their candidates in the June 5th primary:

Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh (D)
Rick Hill and Jon Sonju (R)
Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy (L)
Bill Coate and Joni Oja

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# Election Results[edit]

## General[edit]

Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Montana General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh | 48.9% | 236,450
| Republican  |  Rick Hill and Jon Sonju  | 47.3% | 228,879
| Libertarian  |  Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy  | 3.8% | 18,160
Total Votes | 483,489
Election results via Montana Secretary of State

According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Ron Vandevender took in over 9,000 more votes than the number that separated Bullock and Hill.[2]

## Primary[edit]

Governor/Lt. Governor of Montana, Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Steve Bullock & John E. Walsh | 86.6% | 76,738
Heather Margolis & Steve Nelsen | 13.4% | 11,823
Total Votes | 88,561
Election results via Montana Secretary of State.

Governor/Lt. Governor of Montana, Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Rick Hill & Jon Sonju | 34.4% | 46,802
Corey Stapleton & Bob Keenan | 18.1% | 24,661
Ken Miller & Bill Gallagher | 18% | 24,496
Jim O'Hara & Scott Swingley | 12.2% | 16,653
Neil Livingstone & Ryan Zinke | 8.8% | 12,038
Jim Lynch & Al Olszewski | 6.1% | 8,323
Bob Fanning & Joel Boniek | 2.3% | 3,087
Total Votes | 136,060
Election results via Montana Secretary of State.

# Background[edit]

2013 →

<- 2011

2012
State Executive Official Elections

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News • Calendar

## Key dates[edit]

* Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.

Deadline  | Event

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Jan. 12 - Mar. 12 | Candidate filing period
May 7 | Voter registration for primary election
June 4, Noon | Requests received for absentee ballot for primary election
June 5 | Primary election
Aug. 13 | Deadline for candidates to withdrawal general election candidacy
Aug. 23 | Secretary of State certifies candidates on ballot
Nov. 5 | Requests received for absentee ballot for general election
Nov. 6 | General election
Dec. 3 | Official results certified

## Race tracking[edit]

2011 Race Rankings - Montana Governor

Race Tracker  | Race Rating  |
The Cook Political Report[3] | Toss-up  |
Governing Politics[4] | Lean Republican  |
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Leans Republican  |
Rasmussen Reports Gubernatorial Scorecard[6] | No prediction yet  |
The Rothenberg Political Report[7] | Pure Toss-up  |
Overall Call |  |

# Candidates[edit]

## General election candidates[edit]

Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh (D)
Rick Hill and Jon Sonju (R)
Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy (L)
Bill Coate and Joni Oja

## Primary election candidates[edit]

Despite early speculation, there were a few surprises when the dust had settled after the candidate filing period came to an end on March 12, 2012.

* The Democratic field was initially expected to be a three-person showdown, but state Senator Larry Jent dropped out of the race on March 8, 2012 saying he hadn't raised enough money to compete with Bullock,[8] who, according to early polling, was a heavy favorite with 70% of the primary vote to Jent's 6% (24% of voters were undecided).[9]
* On the Republican side, gubernatorial hopeful Bob Fanning announced in early January his running mate would be Chuck Baldwin.[10] But Baldwin left the campaign in mid-February due to a lack of both money and a "quality organization"[11] and Fanning picked up a new running mate, former state Rep. Joel Boniek.

###  Democratic primary candidates[edit]

* Steve Bullock & John E. Walsh a
* Heather Margolis & Steve Nelsen

###  Republican primary candidates[edit]

* Bob Fanning & Joel Boniek
* Rick Hill & Jon Sonju a
* Neil Livingstone & Ryan Zinke
* Jim Lynch & Al Olszewski
* Ken Miller & Bill Gallagher
* Jim O'Hara & Scott Swingley
* Corey Stapleton & Bob Keenan

### Libertarian candidates[edit]

* Ron Vandevender & Marc Mulcahy

### Independent candidates[edit]

* Bill Coate & Joni Oja

## Former candidates[edit]

* Larry Jent, a state Senator
* Drew Turiano, a real estate investor and former science fiction author, initially indicated his intention to run for Governor of Montana, but in January 2012 announced he would, instead, seek the Republican nomination for Montana Secretary of State in the 2012 election.[12]
* David Wanzenried, a state Senator, was considering a run for the Democratic nomination
* Jeff Essmann, a state Senator, declared his intent to run, but withdrew from the race before the candidate filing deadline, citing a lack of funds and a desire for a united Republican Party[13]
* Chuck Baldwin appeared to be the lieutenant governor candidate on Bob Fanning's ticket but Fanning filed with Joel Boniek instead.

# Endorsements[edit]

Six of the nine gubernatorial candidates provided The Billings Gazette with a list of five individuals, groups or a combination that had endorsed them.[14]

### Democrats[edit]

Steve Bullock

* Gov. Brian Schweitzer
* Montana AFL-CIO
* MEA-MFT
* Planned Parenthood
* Montana Conservation Voters

### Republicans[edit]

Neil Livingstone

* Glen Swope, President of the Montana Federation of Pachyderm Clubs
* Rep. Mike Miller
* Gregg Trude, Executive Director of Right to Life of Montana
* Sen. Edward Buttrey
* Paul Vallely, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Jim Lynch

* Julie Peterson
* George Ingahm
* Rodney Garcia
* Chuck Klefner
* Mitch Stanley

Ken Miller

* Mark Agather, Northwest Montana Patriots Association
* Trude
* Jeff Laszloffy, President of Montana Family Foundation, Laurel
* Duarie Mitchell, former owner and founder of Mitchell Oil Service, Sidney
* Kerry White, President of Citizens for Balanced Use

Corey Stapleton

* Nick Wolter, CEO of Billings, Clinic
* Ron Marlenee, former US Representative
* Dennis Hicks and George Torp, founders of Montana Alliance for Constitutionalism
* Ron Sexton, former Chancellor of Montana State University Billings

Jim O'Hara

* Kent Wasson, farmer, rancher, entrepreneur
* Dave Brown, CEO of Source Giant Springs Water Co.
* Jim Taylor, CEO of Taylor's Family Auto Group
* Bruce Hould, farmer and rancher
* Rick Cook, clerk and recorder in Chouteau County

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# Polls[edit]

## General election polls[edit]

### Without Coate or Vandevender[edit]

Governor of Montana

Poll | Steve Bullock | Rick Hill| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Pharos Research Group
(October 26-28, 2012)
| 47.1%| 44.4%| 8.5%| +/-3.5| 799
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

### With Coate and Vandevender[edit]

Governor of Montana

Poll | Steve Bullock | Rick Hill| Ron Vandevender| Bill Coate| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling
(October 8-10, 2012)
| 42%| 43%| 4%| 4%| 7%| +/-3.6| 737
Public Policy Polling
(September 10-11, 2012)
| 44%| 39%| 4%| 4%| 9%| +/-3.8| 656
AVERAGES|  43%|  41%|  4%|  4%|  8%|  +/-3.7|  696.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

### With Vandevender[edit]

Governor of Montana

Poll | Steve Bullock | Rick Hill| Ron Vandevender| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research
( October 29-31, 2012)
| 46%| 49%| 2%| 3%| +/-4.0| 625
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research
(September 17-19, 2012)
| 44%| 43%| 2%| 11%| +/-4.0| 625
AVERAGES|  45%|  46%|  2%|  7%|  +/-4|  625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

## Steve Bullock as Democratic candidate[edit]

Steve Bullock vs. Jeff Essmann

Poll | Steve Bullock | Jeff Essmann| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 42%| 30%| 28%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Rick Hill

Poll | Steve Bullock | Rick Hill| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 38%| 39%| 23%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Neil Livingstone

Poll | Steve Bullock | Neil Livingstone| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 41%| 29%| 30%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Steve Bullock vs. Ken Miller

Poll | Steve Bullock | Ken Miller| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 40%| 31%| 29%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

## Larry Jent as Democratic candidate[edit]

Larry Jent vs. Jeff Essmann

Poll | Larry Jent | Jeff Essmann| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 26%| 30%| 44%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Rick Hill

Poll | Larry Jent | Rick Hill| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 26%| 39%| 35%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Neil Livingstone

Poll | Larry Jent | Neil Livingstone| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 26%| 30%| 44%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Larry Jent vs. Ken Miller

Poll | Larry Jent | Ken Miller| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling (November 28-30, 2011)
| 25%| 33%| 42%| +/-2.4| 1,625
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

# Debates[edit]

The candidates for governor met several times, though not always as a full field.

## Nine candidates; both parties[edit]

On February 27, the Cascade County Farm Bureau hosted a forum featuring eight Republicans and one Democrat, Larry Jent. The candidates discussed issues such as the threat of brucellosis to the state's cattle, combination schools in rural areas, and the Keystone XL pipeline. Each candidate also had the chance to present their case to voters.[15]

## GOP candidates[edit]

On May 2, five of the seven Republican gubernatorial candidates met in Whitefish for a debate. Debate topics included lowering property taxes, increasing the use of the state’s natural resources, creating a less adversarial legal and regulatory environment, and identifying new funding sources for public education.[16][17]

At the start of the debate, each candidate was asked to highlight the strengths of their campaign and respond to criticisms that had arisen during the campaign.

* Jim Lynch highlighted his record as Director of the Montana Department of Transportation, where he saved the state $9.7 million by reducing staff and overtime hours.[16] He argued that attitude, rather than taxes and regulations, was hindering growth and said he would stimulate the state's economy by applying similar savings in state government.[17]
* Neil Livingstone, described as having a federal focus, emphasized his experience managing nine-figure companies worldwide as providing him with experience, objectivity, and vision for Montana.[16] He supported drilling, mining, and logging as ways to revitalize Montana’s economy and pledged to establish a legal and regulatory environment conducive to the state’s prosperity.[17]
* Ken Miller pledged to eliminate both the business employment tax and the corporate income tax.[16] He proposed a loser-pay law designed to reduce the number of lawsuits filed in the state and to speed up the issuance of environmental permits. He also said he would seek an amendment to the part of Montana’s constitution that guarantees everyone a clean and healthy environment, citing concerns about broad judicial interpretation.[17]
* Corey Stapleton suggested that delays in developing Montana's oil and coal resources stem from gubernatorial appointments to boards and commissions responsible for oversight.[17] He proposed using revenue from natural resource development to provide $220 million in permanent property tax relief and to fund public education.[16]
* Rick Hill advocated reducing local property taxes and cited Wyoming's use of coal tax revenues to fund public education as a model.[16] He criticized trial lawyers and environmentalists, whom he identified as responsible for a statewide regulatory framework that he said was hindering Montana's economic growth.[17]

# Campaign finance[edit]

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.

Due dates for primary election:

* May 21: Pre-primary report #1
* May 31: Pre-primary report #2
* June 25: Post-primary report

Due dates for general election:

* October 22: Pre-general election report #1
* November 1: Pre-general election report #2
* November 26: Post-general election report

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## Candidates[edit]

### Steve Bullock[edit]

Steve Bullock Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1[18]| May 19, 2012| $394,985.03| $72,910.01| $(47,915.10)| $419,979.94
Pre-primary report #2[19]| May 31, 2012| $419,669.94| $34,633.00| $(7,440.44)| $446,862.50
Post-primary report[20]| June 25, 2012| $446,562.50| $97,539.12| $(24,115.81)| $519,985.81
| | | Running totals|
| | | $205,082.13| $(79,471.35)|

### Rick Hill[edit]

Rick Hill Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1[21]| May 20, 2012| $220,936.86| $43,894.02| $(165,182.23)| $99,648.65
Pre-primary report #2[22]| May 31, 2012| $95,748.65| $25,497.00| $(75,529.58)| $45,716.07
Post-primary report[23]| June 25, 2012| $45,716.07| $31,258.69| $(59,808.78)| $17,165.98
| | | Running totals|
| | | $100,649.71| $(300,520.59)|

### Ron Vandevender[edit]

Ron Vandevender Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Pre-primary report #1[24]| May 21, 2012| $5.72| $30.00| $(25.95)| $9.77
Pre-primary report #2[25]| May 30, 2012| $9.77| $41.00| $(40.95)| $9.82
Post-primary report[26]| June 25, 2012| $9.82| $0.00| $(0.00)| $9.82
| | | Running totals|
| | | $71| $(66.9)|

# Campaign media and news[edit]

## News[edit]

* Election preview: No challengers for Montana's incumbent state executive officials March 13
* Election preview: No primary challengers for Montana's incumbent state executives June 4

## Campaign sites[edit]

Democrats:

* Steve Bullock
* Larry Jent

Republicans:

* Bob Fanning
* Rick Hill
* Neil Livingstone
* Jim Lynch
* Ken Miller
* Jim O'Hara
* Corey Stapleton

Libertarian:

* Ron Vandevender

Independent:

* Ronald Lassle

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### Campaign advertisements[edit]

Steve Bullock

Rick Hill

Montana Jobs, Education, and Technology (JET) PAC
Complicated

Republican Governors Association
Climate

Costing You Jobs

AFSCME MT
Order

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## See also[edit]

* Governor of Montana
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana
* Montana state executive official elections, 2012
* Montana down ballot state executive elections, 2012
* State executive official elections, 2012

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

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* Official candidate list
* "Internet Archive Wayback Machine copy of montanagovernor2012.com". http://web.archive.org/web/20120226185819/http://montanagovernor2012.com/.

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Term limits," accessed June 8, 2012
2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Libertarians provided the margin for Democrats and at least nine elections," November 15, 2012
3. ↑ The Cook Political Report, “Governors: Race Ratings”
4. ↑ Governing Politics, “Looking Ahead: The 2011-2012 Gubernatorial Landscape”, December 2, 2010
5. ↑ Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2011 Governor Ratings”
6. ↑ Rasmussen Reports', “Election 2010: Scorecard Ratings”
7. ↑ Rothenberg Political Report, “Governor Ratings”
8. ↑ KPAX.com, "Democrat Larry Jent drops out of race for governor," March 9, 2012
9. ↑ Public Policy Polling, "Republican hill leads Bullock by one for MT-Gov. (page 3)," December 5, 2011
10. ↑ Flathead Beacon, "Fanning and Baldwin: In this to win," January 17, 2012
11. ↑ KRTV.com, "MT gubernatorial candidate Fanning loses running mate," February 13, 2012
12. ↑ Billings Gazette, "Turiano leaves governor's race to run for secretary of state," January 16, 2012
13. ↑ KXLH.com, "Essman ends run or Governor of MT," January 27, 2012
14. ↑ Billings Gazette, "6 governor candidates list campaign endorsements," May 28, 2012
15. ↑ KPAX.com, 9 MT gubernatorial candidates square off in Great Falls," February 28, 2012
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 KPAX.com, "Montana GOP candidates debate in Whitefish," May 2, 2012
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 The Missoulian, "5 GOP candidates for Montana governor hold debate," May 2, 2012
18. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, "May 19, 2012
19. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, May 31, 2012
20. ↑ http://applicationengine.mt.gov/getContent?vsId={8D83C7D8-4394-45E6-BC0E-DE0AFCC20364}&impersonate=true&objectStoreName=PROD OBJECT STORE&objectType=document Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Steve Bullock, June 25, 2012
21. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, May 20, 2012
22. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, May 31, 2012
23. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rick Hill, June 25, 2012
24. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, May 21, 2012
25. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, May 30, 2012
26. ↑ Candidate Campaign Finance Report: Rob Vandevender, June 25, 2012

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