The 1980 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1980. 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, ...

Thomas Lee Judge Thomas Lee Judge (October 12, 1934 – September 8, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Montana f ...

, who was first elected in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and was re-elected in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, ran for re-election. He faced a stiff challenge in the Democratic primary from his

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Ted Schwinden Theodore Schwinden (born August 31, 1925) is an American politician. He served as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the 19th Governor of Montana. Biography Schwinden was born in Wolf Point, Montana. He enlisted in the United States Ar ...

, and he ultimately lost renomination. Schwinden, advancing to the general election, faced Jack Ramirez, the Minority Leader 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� ...

and 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 ...

nominee. Although

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, the Republican presidential nominee, won the state in a landslide that year, Schwinden comfortably defeated Ramirez to win his first of two terms as governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

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 ...

, incumbent

*Martin J. Beckman *

Bob Kelleher Robert "Bob" Kelleher (March 30, 1923 – May 29, 2011), was an American attorney and perennial candidate. Starting in 1964, Kelleher ran for public office 16 times, at various times for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic, Green Par ...

, perennial candidate

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

*Jack Ramirez, Minority Leader of the

*Al Bishop, Montana Fish and Game Commissioner *Florence Haegen, former Chairwoman 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 ...

Results

General election

Results

References

{{United States elections, 1980

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 ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...