The 2012 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, to elect the

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto ...

. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democra ...

was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term. Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock won the Democratic primary with 87% of the vote and former U.S. Representative

Rick Hill Richard Hill (born December 30, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Montana. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Montana in 2012. Early life and ...

won the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

primary with 34% of the vote. In the general election, Bullock won by 7,571 votes, taking 48.9% of the vote to Hill's 47.3%. With a margin of 1.6%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2012 gubernatorial election cycle, behind only the election in Puerto Rico. Due to the close margin, media outlets did not call the race for Bullock until the next day.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Steve Bullock, Montana Attorney General :*Running mate: John Walsh,

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and former

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

in the

Montana National Guard The Montana National Guard consists of the Montana Army National Guard, and the Montana Air National Guard. Structure and mission When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief. The federa ...

* Heather Margolis, Montana representative for community service organization ServeNext :*Running mate: Steve Nelsen, founder of the Montana Conservation Corps

Withdrew

* Larry Jent, state senator

Declined

John Bohlinger John Bohlinger, Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 33rd Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. He ran for the office as a Republican on a bipartisan ticket headed by Democratic guber ...

Lieutenant Governor of Montana The lieutenant governor of Montana is an elected official in the State of Montana that ranks just below the governor of Montana. List of lieutenant governors ;Parties Living former lieutenant governors , there are six former lieutenant gov ...

* Carl Borgquist, president of Grasslands Renewable Energy of Bozeman * Dave Wanzenried, state senator * Pat Williams, former U.S. Representative

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

* Bob Fanning, retired businessman :*Running mate: Joel Boniek, former state representative :*''Former running mate:''

Chuck Baldwin Charles Obadiah Baldwin (born May 3, 1952) is an American right-wing politician, radio host, and founder-former pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. As of January 2011 he was pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Mon ...

, pastor and Constitution Party nominee for president in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

(dropped out February 2012) *

, former U.S. Representative :*Running mate: Jon Sonju, state senator * Neil Livingstone, terrorism and national security analyst :*Running mate:

Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith Zinke (; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. Zinke, a member of the Republican Party, served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional d ...

, state senator * Jim Lynch, former Montana Department of Transportation director :*Running mate: Al Olszewski, orthopedic surgeon and Carroll College Trustee * Ken Miller, former state senator and former chairman of the

Montana Republican Party The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Montana. It is headquartered in Helena. The party is chaired by Don Kaltschmidt. The national committeeman is currently unknown and the national committeewoman is ...

:*Running mate: Bill Gallagher, Public Service Commissioner * Jim O'Hara, Chouteau County Commissioner :*Running mate: Scott Swingley, private investigator and former trooper in the

Montana Highway Patrol The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Montana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state over Montana Traffic law. History The Montana Highway Patrol was founded in 1935 after Montana led the nat ...

* Corey Stapleton, former state senator :*Running mate: Bob Keenan, former President of the Montana Senate

Withdrew

* Jeff Essmann, Majority Leader of the Montana Senate * Drew Turiano, real estate investor

Declined

Denny Rehberg Dennis Ray Rehberg (born October 5, 1955) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party. He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 1991 to 1997 and as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. Rehberg was the Repu ...

, U.S. Representative ( ran for the U.S. Senate)

Polling

Results

2012 Montana gubernatorial Republican primary county map

General election

Candidates

* Steve Bullock (D), Montana Attorney General :*Running mate: John Walsh, Brigadier general and former adjutant general in the Montana National Guard *

(R), former U.S. Representative :*Running mate: Jon Sonju, state senator * Ron Vandevender (Libertarian), businessman :*Running mate: Marc Mulcahy

Debate

Complete video of debate
C-SPAN, October 10, 2012

Predictions

Polling

;Aggregate polls With Bohlinger With Bullock With Jent With Wanzenried

Results

Notes

References

External links

Elections and Government – Montana Secretary of State
;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Steve Bullock for Governor

Rick Hill for Governor

Ron Vandevender for Governor
{{2012 United States elections

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 Columb ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 gat ...

Steve Bullock (American politician)