United States Senate election in Montana (June 5, 2018 Green Party primary)

Elections in Montana, 2018

* General election: Nov. 6
* Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9[2]
* Early voting: Oct. 9 - Nov. 5
* Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

* Online registration: No
* Same-day registration: Yes
* Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
* Poll times: Polling places open between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

* * *

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Local judges • State ballot measures • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2020 →

<- 2014

U.S. Senate, Montana

Democratic primary
Republican primary
Green primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 12, 2018
Primary: June 5, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

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Pre-election incumbent:
Jon Tester (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Montana
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate, Montana
U.S. Senate • At-large
Montana elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

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## Contents

* 1 Candidates and election results
* 2 Election updates
* 2.1 Lawsuit
* 3 Who is going to win?
* 3.1 Race ratings
* 4 State overview
* 4.1 Partisan control
* 4.1.1 Congressional delegation
* 4.1.2 State executives
* 4.1.3 State legislature
* 4.1.4 Trifecta status
* 4.2 2018 elections
* 4.3 Demographics
* 5 State election history
* 5.1 Historical elections
* 5.1.1 Presidential elections, 2000-2016
* 5.1.2 U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
* 5.1.3 Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
* 5.1.4 Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
* 5.1.5 Trifectas, 1992-2017
* 6 See also
* 7 Footnotes

A Green Party primary election took place on June 5, 2018, in Montana to determine which Green Party candidate earned the right to run in the state's November 6, 2018, general election.

This page focuses on the Green Party primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.

HIGHLIGHTS

* This seat was rated Toss-up by The Cook Political Report, Tilt Democratic by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Lean Democratic by Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball.

* In 2012, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D) did not face a Democratic primary challenger and defeated his Republican opponent by 4 percent. This race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than the vote difference between the Democratic winner and the Republican runner-up.[3]

* President Donald Trump (R) won the state in 2016 by 20 points. CNN listed this race as one of the 10 U.S. Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018.[4]

Montana voter? Here's what you need to know.

Primary Election| June 5, 2018
Primary Type| Open
Candidate Filing Deadline| March 12, 2018
Registration Deadline| May 7, 2018 (regular registration), June 5, 2018 (late registration)[5]
Absentee Application Deadline| June 4, 2018 (12pm MT)[5]
General Election| November 6, 2018
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.

## Candidates and election results[edit]

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

Steve Kelly defeated Timothy Adams in the Green primary for U.S. Senate Montana on June 5, 2018.

Green primary election

#####  Green primary for U.S. Senate Montana

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Steve Kelly |

61.2

| 971

| Timothy Adams |

38.8

| 615

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

| Total votes: 1,586

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

* Thomas Breck (G)

## Election updates[edit]

### Lawsuit[edit]

* April 2, 2018: The Montana Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in Lewis and Clark County District Court claiming that the state Green Party did not collect enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot. The lawsuit argues that Secretary of State Corey Stapleton (R) incorrectly certified 180 signature petitions. The lawsuit is asking for an injunction to remove the party from the June 5 primary. Six Green Party candidates have qualified for the ballot in Montana. Two candidates filed for the U.S. Senate, one for the U.S. House, and three candidates in the state legislature.[6]

## Who is going to win?[edit]

### Race ratings[edit]

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Montana, 2018

Race tracker | Race ratings
| October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018| October 16, 2018| October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up| Toss-up| Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic| Tilt Democratic| Tilt Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic| Lean Democratic| Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

## State overview[edit]

### Partisan control[edit]

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Montana heading into the 2018 elections.

#### Congressional delegation[edit]

* Following the 2016 elections, Republicans and Democrats each held one U.S. Senate seat.
* Republicans held Montana's At-Large Congressional District.

#### State executives[edit]

* As of September 2018, Republicans held six of 11 state executive positions, Democrats held two, and the remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
* The governor of Montana was Democrat Steve Bullock. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 3, 2020.

#### State legislature[edit]

* Republicans controlled both chambers of the Montana State Legislature. They had a 59-41 majority in the state House and a 32-18 majority in the state Senate.

#### Trifecta status[edit]

* Montana was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Steve Bullock (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.

### 2018 elections[edit]

See also: Montana elections, 2018

Montana held elections for the following positions in 2018:

* One U.S. Senate seat
* One U.S. House seats
* One state executive position
* 25 of 50 state Senate seats
* 100 state House seats

### Demographics[edit]

Demographic data for Montana

| Montana| U.S.
Total population:| 1,032,073| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 145,546| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 89.2%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 0.5%| 12.6%
Asian:| 0.7%| 5.1%
Native American:| 6.5%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0.1%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 2.5%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 3.3%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 92.8%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 29.5%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $47,169| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 17%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana.

* * *

**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Montana's three largest cities were Billings (pop. est. 109,642), Missoula (pop. est. 73,340), and Great Falls (pop. est. 58,876).[7][8]

## State election history[edit]

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Montana from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Montana Secretary of State.

### Historical elections[edit]

#### Presidential elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Montana every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Montana 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2016 |  Donald Trump | 55.6% |  Hillary Clinton | 35.4% | 20.2%
2012 |  Mitt Romney | 55.3% |  Barack Obama | 41.7% | 13.6%
2008 |  John McCain | 49.5% |  Barack Obama | 47.2% | 2.3%
2004 |  George W. Bush | 59.1% |  John Kerry | 38.6% | 20.5%
2000 |  George W. Bush | 58.4% |  Al Gore | 33.4% | 25.0%

#### U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Montana from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Montana 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2014 |  Steve Daines | 57.9% |  Amanda Curtis | 40.0% | 17.9%
2012 |  Jon Tester | 48.6% |  Denny Rehberg | 44.6% | 4.0%
2008 |  Max Baucus | 72.9% |  Bob Kelleher | 27.1% | 45.8%
2006 |  Jon Tester | 49.2% |  Conrad Burns | 48.3% | 0.9%
2002 |  Max Baucus | 62.7% |  Mike Taylor | 31.7% | 31.0%
2000 |  Conrad Burns | 50.6% |  Brian Schweitzer | 47.2% | 3.4%

#### Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Montana.

Election results (Governor), Montana 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2016 |  Steve Bullock | 50.2% |  Greg Gianforte | 46.4% | 3.8%
2012 |  Steve Bullock | 48.9% |  Jon Sonju | 47.3% | 1.6%
2008 |  Brian Schweitzer | 65.5% |  Roy Brown | 32.5% | 33.0%
2004 |  Brian Schweitzer | 50.4% |  Bob Brown | 46.0% | 4.4%
2000 |  Judy Martz | 51.0% |  Mark O'Keefe | 47.1% | 3.9%

#### Congressional delegation, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Montana in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Montana 2000-2016

Year  | Republicans  | Republicans (%)  | Democrats  | Democrats (%)  | Balance of power
2016 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2014 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2012 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2010 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2008 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2006 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2004 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2002 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1
2000 |  1 | 100% |  0 | 0% | R+1

#### Trifectas, 1992-2017[edit]

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Montana Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year  | 92  | 93  | 94  | 95  | 96  | 97  | 98  | 99  | 00  | 01  | 02  | 03  | 04  | 05  | 06  | 07  | 08  | 09  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | 19  | 20  | 21  | 22

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Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R
Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R
House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R

## See also[edit]

* United States Senate election in Montana (June 5, 2018 Democratic primary)
* United States Senate election in Montana (June 5, 2018 Republican primary)
* United States Senate election in Montana, 2018
* United States Senate elections, 2018
* United States House of Representatives elections in Montana, 2018
* United States House of Representatives elections, 2018

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ If one missed the Oct. 9 deadline, he or she could have still voted in the election by registering in person at the county election office. Late registration was available until the close of polls on Election Day.
2. ↑ If one missed the Oct. 9 deadline, he or she could have still voted in the election by registering in person at the county election office. Late registration was available until the close of polls on Election Day.
3. ↑ Daily Kos, "Libertarians provided the margin for Democrats and at least nine elections," November 15, 2012
4. ↑ CNN, "The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018," January 9, 2018
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Montana Secretary of State, "2018 election calendar," accessed February 1, 2018
6. ↑ Independent Record, "Montana Democrats want Green Party off ballot, saying they didn't get enough valid signatures," April 2, 2018
7. ↑ Montana Demographics, "Montana Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018
8. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Montana," accessed September 4, 2018

[show]

Montana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Steve Daines (R)

Jon Tester (D)

Representatives

Matt Rosendale (R)

Republican Party (2)

Democratic Party (1)

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