The 2020 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

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 ...

. It was held concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, and various

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The primaries for both the Democratic and Republican nominations took place on June 2, 2020. Originally this seat was projected to be a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

Republican hold. However, Steve Bullock, Montana's popular Democratic governor, entered the race on the last day to file, which shifted the dynamics of the contest dramatically; many political pundits then considered it a competitive race and potential pickup for Democrats. Polling reflected that at a point too, with one poll even showing Bullock leading by 7 points. These predictions ultimately did not come to fruition, however, as Daines would wind up winning a second term by a relatively comfortable 10-point margin. This marked the first time since 2000 where Montana voted for a Republican governor, president, and senator all on the same ballot. As the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

was removed from the ballot and both

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

nominees withdrew, this was the first time since 1988 that there were no third-party candidates running for either

in Montana.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Steve Daines Steven David Daines ( ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and former corporate executive serving as the junior United States senator for Montana since 2015. A Republican, he served as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large ...

, incumbent U.S. Senator

Eliminated in primary

* John Driscoll, former Democratic Speaker of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

(1977–1979) *Daniel Larson, hardware store manager

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Following Steve Bullock's entry shortly before the March 9 filing deadline, several Democrats dropped from the race.

Candidates

Nominee

* Steve Bullock, incumbent

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 U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

and former

candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Eliminated in primary

*John Mues, nuclear engineer and U.S. Navy veteran

Withdrawn

*Jack Ballard, former professor at

Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...

''(endorsed Bullock)'' *

Wilmot Collins Wilmot Collins (born October 15, 1963) is a Liberian-born American politician serving as the mayor of Helena, Montana. He defeated four-term incumbent mayor James E. Smith in the 2017 mayoral election on November 7, 2017, with 51% of the vote. ...

, mayor of Helena ''(endorsed Bullock)'' * Mike Knoles, mathematician, physicist, and data analyst ''(endorsed Bullock)'' ''(remained on ballot)'' *Cora Neumann, public health expert and founder of the Global First Ladies Alliance ''(endorsed Bullock)'' *Josh Seckinger, fishing guide ''(endorsed Bullock)''

Declined

Michael Punke Michael W. Punke (born December 7, 1964) is an American author, attorney, academic, and policy analyst. He is a former Deputy United States Trade Representative and U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2017, ...

, writer and former U.S. ambassador to the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

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 Democrat ...

, former

* Kathleen Williams, former state representative and nominee for

Montana's at-large congressional district Montana is represented in the United States House of Representatives by one at-large congressional district, among the 435 in the United States Congress. The district was the most populous U.S. congressional district, with just over 1 million c ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

( running for Montana's at-large congressional district)

Endorsements

Results

Other candidates

Libertarian Party

After Susan Geise officially withdrew, the Montana Libertarian Party could name a replacement candidate for the general election. However, during a meeting to select a replacement candidate, a majority of party officials selected not to have a replacement candidate, with "none of the above" winning the most votes.

Withdrawn

*Eric Fulton, Republican candidate for District 65 of the

in 2014 *Susan Geise, Lewis and Clark County commissioner and former chair of the

Montana Republican Party The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Montana. It is headquartered in Helena, Montana, Helena. The party is chaired by Don Kaltschmidt. The national committeeman is curr ...

Green Party

Disqualified

*Wendie Fredrickson, former audit reviewer for Montana State Department of Public Health and Human Services

Eliminated in primary

*Dennis Daneke, retired college professor

Results

General election

Debate

Predictions

Endorsements

Polling

;Graphical summary Aggregate Polls University of Montana polls did not account for certain presumed withdrawals of major party candidates after their primaries in the following polls. ;Steve Daines vs Steve Bullock, Wilmot Collins, Mike Knoles, Cora Neumann, and John Mues ;Steve Daines vs Jack Ballard, Wilmot Collins, and John Mues

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic * Gallatin (largest municipality: Bozeman) *

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

(largest municipality: Helena) *

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

(largest municipality:

Wolf Point Wolf Point ( asb, šųktógeja oʾípa) is an incorporated ranchingtown in, and the county seat of, Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2020 census, down 4% from 2,621 in the 2010 Census. It is the larges ...

)

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

* * * (State affiliate of the U.S.

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

) * ;Official campaign websites
Steve Bullock (D) for Senate

Steve Daines (R) for Senate
{{2020 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 Columbi ...

Steve Bullock (American politician)

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Results

Other candidates

Libertarian Party

Withdrawn

Green Party

Disqualified

Eliminated in primary

Results

General election

Debate

Predictions

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Notes

References

Further reading

External links