2020 United States Senate election in Montana

The 2020 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Montana. 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 to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. The primaries for both the Democratic and Republican nominations took place on June 2, 2020. Incumbent senator Steve Daines won the Republican primary, while Montana Gov. Steve Bullock won the Democratic primary.

Originally, this seat was projected to be a safe Republican hold. However, Gov. Bullock entered the race on the last day to file, shifting the dynamics of the contest dramatically; many political pundits then considered it a competitive race and a potential pickup for Democrats. One poll showed Bullock leading by seven points. Democrats outspent Republicans, $82 million to $63 million, on this race; it was one of the most expensive Senate races in the 2020 cycle. On Election Day, Daines prevailed by a relatively comfortable 10-point margin following a trend of Republican Senate candidates outperforming expectations.

This election 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 was removed from the ballot and both Libertarian nominees withdrew, this was the first time since 1988 that there were no third-party candidates running for either United States House of Representatives or United States Senate in Montana. This election was the first time ever that an incumbent Republican senator from Montana was re-elected to this seat.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Daines, incumbent U.S. senator

Eliminated in primary

• John Driscoll, former Democratic Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives (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 and former candidate for President of the United States in 2020

Eliminated in primary

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

Withdrawn

• Jack Ballard, former professor at Montana State University Billings (endorsed Bullock)
• Wilmot Collins, 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, writer and former U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization
• Brian Schweitzer, former governor of Montana
• Kathleen Williams, former state representative and nominee for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2018 (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 Montana House of Representatives in 2014
• Susan Geise, Lewis and Clark County commissioner and former chair of the Montana Republican Party

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

Results

Notes

Partisan clients

References

Further reading

• Amber Phillips (October 9, 2020), "The Senate seats most likely to flip parties in November", Washingtonpost.com

External links

• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Montana", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "Montana: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of Montana". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• Montana at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Steve Bullock (D) for Senate
• Steve Daines (R) for Senate