Democrats have won four straight governor’s races in Montana, a state where President Trump is expected to cruise to victory Nov. 3.
That penchant for ticket-splitting by voters has set up a potential nail-biter of a gubernatorial contest between Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte. The winner will succeed Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running for the Senate.
Cooney, 66, Montana’s lieutenant governor since 2016, has been in state government for decades, beginning with a state House stint in the 1970s. He was Montana secretary of state for a few years before moving on to the state Senate.
Gianforte, 59, has been Montana’s lone House member since winning a special election in May 2017. Prior to that, Gianforte worked as a successful businessman, founding five companies. According to USA Today, he was the richest person to be elected to the 116th Congress.
But Gianforte attracted unfavorable attention on the eve of his election to the House after he slammed Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs to the ground. The next day, he was elected to Congress. On June 12, Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.
A poll from Emerson College Polling released at the beginning of August put Gianforte 9 points ahead of Cooney. A poll from mid-July put the Republican 4 points ahead.
If Gianforte were to win, it would be the first time a Republican has held the office since 2005. Republicans currently hold both houses of the state’s legislature. Additionally, Montana’s secretary of state and attorney general are both Republicans.
Cooney has made healthcare and agriculture two primary issues of his campaign.
Previous gubernatorial elections in Montana have been relatively close. In 2012, the race was won by 1.6 percentage points. In 2016, with Gianforte as the Republican nominee, Democratic Gov. Bullock won reelection by 3.9 percentage points as Trump beat Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton 56% to 36% in the state.
