The 2018 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the

State of Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia ...

, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Although Montana went for Donald Trump by a margin of about 20 percent in 2016, incumbent

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Senator Jon Tester was reelected to a third term, defeating Republican State Auditor Matt Rosendale. Rosendale conceded on November 7, 2018. This was the first Senate election in which Tester received a majority of votes cast rather than a simple plurality.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Jon Tester, incumbent U.S. Senator

Endorsements

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Matt Rosendale, Auditor of Montana and candidate for Congress in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Eliminated in primary

Troy Downing Troy Downing (born March 4, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Montana state auditor. Prior to the 2020 election, Downing worked as a real estate developer and technology entrepreneur. Early life and education Downi ...

, veteran and businessman *

Russell Fagg Russell C. Fagg is an American attorney, former judge, and politician. A Republican, he served two terms in the Montana House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. He succeeded Mary McDonough in the 89th district. Fagg was succeeded by Peggy Arnot ...

, former

Yellowstone County Yellowstone County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,731. Its county seat is Billings. Yellowstone County is named for the Yellowstone River which roughly bisects the county ...

District Judge * Albert Olszewski, state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Withdrew

* Ron Murray, businessman and candidate for the state house in 2010

Declined

* Tim Fox,

Attorney General of Montana The Montana Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency of Montana. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. The Montana Attorney General, currently Republican Austin Knudsen, heads the agen ...

Robert J. O'Neill Robert J. O'Neill (born 10 April 1976) is a former United States Navy SEAL (1996–2012), TV news contributor, and author. After participating in May 2011's Operation Neptune Spear with SEAL Team Six, O'Neill was the subject of controversy ...

, former Navy SEAL (endorsed Troy Downing) * Marc Racicot, former governor and former chairman of the Republican National Committee (endorsed Russell Fagg) *

Corey Stapleton Corey Stapleton (born September 17, 1967) is an American politician and musician who served as the Secretary of State of Montana from 2017 to 2021. A Republican, he served as a member of the Montana State Senate from 2001 to 2009. In 2020, Stapl ...

, Secretary of State of Montana, candidate for governor in

and candidate for Congress in

* Ryan Zinke, former

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

and former U.S. Representative

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Rick Breckenridge, 2016 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives In October 2018, Breckenridge told a reporter from the Associated Press that he opposed the use of dark money in politics. Breckenridge said that he realistically anticipated only receiving three or four percent of the vote in the general election, and that he endorsed Rosendale's efforts to stop the use of dark money in politics. The Associated Press interpreted Breckenridge's comments as a statement that Breckenridge was dropping out of the race and endorsing Rosendale. Breckenridge later stated that his use of the word "endorse" referred only to stopping the use of dark money in politics, and said he was still running for the Senate.

Green Party

Kelly won the Green Party nomination, but a Montana district court judge ruled that he had insufficient signatures to get on the ballot.

Candidates

Nominee (removed from ballot)

* Steve Kelly, artist and environmental activist

Eliminated in primary

* Timothy Adams

Results

General election

Debates

Complete video of debate
September 29, 2018
Complete video of debate
October 14, 2018

Predictions

Endorsements

Fundraising

Polling

Results

By county

From Secretary of State of Montana ;Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican *

Chouteau Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in New Orleans. They then moved-up the Mississipp ...

(largest municipality: Fort Benton) * Rosebud (largest municipality:

Colstrip Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in ...

) * Yellowstone (largest municipality:

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

)

References

External links

Candidates
at Vote Smart
Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign finance
at FEC
Campaign finance
at OpenSecrets ;Official campaign websites
Matt Rosendale (R) for SenateJon Tester (D) for Senate
{{2018 United States elections

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Montana United States Senate