2008 Montana gubernatorial election

Election for Governor of Montana

For related races, see 2008 United States gubernatorial elections.

2008 Montana gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 2004 | November 4, 2008 | 2012 ->

|
|

Turnout| 74.5%3.1[1]
|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Brian Schweitzer | Roy Brown |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Running mate  | John Bohlinger | Steve Daines
Popular vote  | 318,670 | 158,268
Percentage  | 65.5% | 32.5%

* * *

County results
Schweitzer:  40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Brown:  40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

* * *

| Governor before election

Brian Schweitzer
Democratic

| Elected Governor

Brian Schweitzer
Democratic

|

Elections in Montana

Federal government

|  Presidential elections

* 1892
* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1916
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1940
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Presidential primaries

Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020

Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections

* 1890
* 1895
* 1895 sp
* 1899
* 1901
* 1901 sp
* 1905
* 1907
* 1911
* 1913
* 1916
* 1918
* 1922
* 1924
* 1928
* 1930
* 1934
* 1934 sp
* 1936
* 1940
* 1942
* 1946
* 1948
* 1952
* 1954
* 1958
* 1960
* 1964
* 1966
* 1970
* 1972
* 1976
* 1978
* 1982
* 1984
* 1988
* 1990
* 1994
* 1996
* 2000
* 2002
* 2006
* 2008
* 2012
* 2014
* 2018
* 2020
* 2024
* 2026

U.S. House of Representatives elections

* 1889
* 1890
* 1892
* 1894
* 1896
* 1898
* 1900
* 1902
* 1904
* 1906
* 1908
* 1910
* 1912
* 1914
* 1916
* 1918
* 1920
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930
* 1932
* 1934
* 1936
* 1938
* 1940
* 1942
* 1944
* 1945
* 2nd sp
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1969
* 2nd sp
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2017
* AL sp
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

State government

|  General elections

* 2010
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022

Gubernatorial elections

* 1889
* 1892
* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1916
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1940
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Secretary of State elections

* 2020

Attorney General elections

* 2020

Senate elections

* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022

House of Representatives elections

* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022

Ballot measures

1894
Capital referendum

2004
Initiative 96

2012
Referendum 121

2016
Initiative 182

2020
Initiative 190

* v
* t
* e

The 2008 Montana gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008 to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Montana. Incumbent governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who was elected to his first four-year term in 2004, was elected to a second term with 65.5% of the vote. Incumbent lieutenant governor John Bohlinger, a Republican who was once again Schweitzer's running mate, was reelected to a second term. The Republican nominee was Roy Brown, a member of the Montana Senate. Brown's running mate was businessman Steve Daines, a future U.S. Representative and a future U.S. Senator.

## Democratic primary[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* Brian Schweitzer, incumbent governor of Montana, 2000 U.S. Senate nominee and rancher
* John Bohlinger, incumbent lieutenant governor of Montana and former Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives and Montana Senate
* William Fischer, small businessman involved in the logging industry in Lakeside, Montana
* Steve White, small business owner in the telecommunications industry in Kalispell, Montana
* Don Pogreba, Shelby native, English and debate teacher at Helena High School
* Jason Neiffer, Great Falls native, history teacher at Capital High School

### Results[edit]

Democratic primary results[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Brian Schweitzer (incumbent)  | 159,820  | 91.30
| Democratic | William Fischer  | 9,865  | 5.64
| Democratic | Donald Pogreba  | 5,358  | 3.06
Total votes  | 175,043  | 100.00

## Republican primary[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* Roy Brown, businessman, member of the Montana Senate and former Majority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives
* Steve Daines, businessman
* Larry H. Steele, 2007 candidate for Mayor of Great Falls and 2006 candidate for the Montana House of Representatives
* Harold Luce

### Primary results[edit]

Republican primary results[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Roy Brown  | 65,883  | 80.81
| Republican | Larry Steele  | 15,643  | 19.19
Total votes  | 81,526  | 100.00

## Libertarian primary[edit]

### Candidates[edit]

* Stan Jones, business consultant and United States Air Force veteran
* Michael Baker

## General election[edit]

### Predictions[edit]

Source  | Ranking  | As of

|
|

The Cook Political Report[3] | Safe D  | October 16, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report[4] | Safe D  | November 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Safe D  | November 3, 2008
Real Clear Politics[6] | Safe D  | November 4, 2008

### Polling[edit]

Poll source  | Dates administered  | Brian
Schweitzer (D)  | Roy
Brown (R)  | Stan
Jones (L)

|
|
|
|

Public Policy Polling | November 2, 2008  | 62% | 36%  | –
Rasmussen Reports | October 1, 2008  | 56% | 41%  | –
The Mellman Group (D) | September 16–18, 2008  | 63% | 24%  | –
Rasmussen Reports | July 29, 2008  | 56% | 32%  | 3%
Rasmussen Reports | June 30, 2008  | 61% | 32%  | 3%
Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers | May 19–21, 2008  | 55% | 30%  | –
Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers | December 17–19, 2007  | 55% | 30%  | –

### Results[edit]

2008 Montana gubernatorial election[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | Brian Schweitzer (incumbent)  | 318,670  | 65.47%  | +15.04%
| Republican | Roy Brown | 158,268  | 32.52%  | -13.50%
| Libertarian | Stan Jones | 9,796  | 2.01%  | +0.35%
Total votes  | 486,734  | 100.00%  | N/A
| Democratic hold

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic[edit]

* Beaverhead (largest city: Dillon)
* Broadwater (largest city: Townsend)
* Custer (largest city: Miles City)
* Daniels (largest city: Scobey)
* Fallon (largest city: Baker)
* Fergus (largest city: Lewistown)
* Flathead (largest city: Kalispell)
* Golden Valley (largest city: Ryegate)
* Granite (largest city: Philipsburg)
* Jefferson (largest city: Clancy)
* Judith Basin (largest city: Stanford)
* Liberty (largest city: Chester)
* Lincoln (largest city: Libby)
* Madison (largest city: Ennis)
* McCone (largest city: Circle)
* Phillips (largest city: Malta)
* Pondera (largest city: Conrad)
* Powell (largest city: Deer Lodge)
* Prairie (largest city: Terry)
* Ravalli (largest city: Hamilton)
* Richland (largest city: Sidney)
* Rosebud (largest city: Colstrip)
* Dawson (Largest city: Glendive)
* Mineral (Largest city: Superior)
* Gallatin (largest city: Bozeman)
* Chouteau (largest municipality: Fort Benton)
* Sanders (largest city: Thompson Falls)
* Stillwater (largest city: Columbus)
* Teton (largest city: Choteau)
* Toole (largest city: Shelby)
* Wheatland (largest city: Harlowton)
* Wibaux (largest city: Wibaux)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
2. ^ a b "2008 Statewide Primary Canvass - June 3rd, 2008" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
3. ^ "2008 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
4. ^ "2008 Gubernatorial Ratings". Gubernatorial Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
5. ^ "THE LAST LAST WORD The Crystal Ball's Final Projections for the 2008 Election". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
6. ^ "2008 Montana Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. November 4, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
7. ^ "2008 Statewide General Canvass - November 4th, 2008" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2014.

## External links[edit]

* Campaign contributions from Follow the Money
* Brown (R) vs Schweitzer (D-i) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com
* Roy Brown for Governor
* Brian Schweitzer for Governor

* v
* t
* e

(2007 ←)  2008 United States elections (→ 2009)

U.S.
President|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming
* Guam (straw poll)

U.S. Senate|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Delaware
* District of Columbia (shadow)
* Georgia
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Mississippi (special)
* Montana
* Nebraska
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* North Carolina
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Virginia
* West Virginia
* Wyoming
* Wyoming (special)

U.S. House
(election
ratings)|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* American Samoa
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* 12th sp
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* delegate
* shadow
* Florida
* Georgia
* Guam
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* 14th sp
* Indiana
* 7th sp
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* 1st sp
* 6th sp
* Maine
* Maryland
* 4th sp
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* 1st sp
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Ohio
* 11th sp
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Puerto Rico
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Governors|

* American Samoa
* Delaware
* Lt. Gov
* Indiana
* Missouri
* Lt. Gov
* Montana
* New Hampshire
* North Carolina
* Lt. Gov
* North Dakota
* Puerto Rico
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* West Virginia

Attorneys
General|

* North Carolina
* Pennsylvania
* Washington
* Ohio (special)

State
legislatures|

* California
* Assembly
* Senate
* Connecticut Senate
* Delaware
* House
* Senate
* Iowa
* House
* Senate
* Massachusetts
* House
* Senate
* Michigan House
* Montana House
* New Mexico
* House
* Senate
* New York Assembly
* North Carolina
* House
* Senate
* South Carolina Senate
* Texas
* House
* Senate
* Washington (state)
* House
* Senate

State officials|

* Pennsylvania
* Auditor General
* Treasurer
* Washington Secretary of State

Mayors|

* Augusta, GA
* Bakersfield, CA
* Baton Rouge, LA
* Fresno, CA
* Honolulu, HI
* Irvine, CA
* Mesa, AZ
* Milwaukee, WI
* Orlando, FL
* Portland, OR
* Sacramento, CA
* San Diego, CA
* San Juan, PR
* Santa Ana, CA
* Scottsdale, AZ
* Stockton, CA
* Virginia Beach, VA

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* American Samoa
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Guam
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Puerto Rico
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[GA]: Georgia
*[CA]: California
*[LA]: Louisiana
*[HI]: Hawaii
*[AZ]: Arizona
*[WI]: Wisconsin
*[FL]: Florida
*[OR]: Oregon
*[PR]: Puerto Rico
*[VA]: Virginia