Montana State Senate elections, 2026
| 2026 Montana Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2024・2022・2020・2018・2016・2014・2012・2010・2008 |
| 2026 Elections | |
|---|---|
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Elections for the Montana State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The Montana State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 18 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
Montana State Senate primary 2026 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 1 | |||
| District 4 | |||
| District 6 | |||
| District 8 | |||
| District 9 | |||
| District 10 | |||
| District 11 | |||
| District 12 | |||
| District 14 | |||
| District 18 | |||
| District 19 | |||
| District 22 | |||
| District 23 | |||
| District 25 | |||
| District 28 | |||
| District 29 | |||
| District 31 | |||
| District 32 | |||
| District 34 | |||
| District 41 | |||
| District 42 | |||
| District 43 | |||
| District 48 | |||
| District 49 | |||
| District 50 | |||
General election
Montana State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office | Other | ||
| District 1 |
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| District 4 | |||
| District 6 | |||
| District 8 | |||
| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 | |||
| District 12 | |||
| District 14 | |||
| District 18 | |||
| District 19 |
Barry Usher (i) |
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| District 22 |
Daniel Zolnikov (i) |
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| District 23 | |||
| District 25 | |||
| District 28 | |||
| District 29 | |||
| District 31 | |||
| District 32 | |||
| District 34 |
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| District 41 | |||
| District 42 | |||
| District 43 | |||
| District 48 | |||
| District 49 | |||
| District 50 | |||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Montana
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Montana. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
For qualified party candidates
See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201 of the Montana Code Annotated 2013
In order to qualify for placement on the primary ballot, a candidate for the nomination of a recognized political party must file a declaration of nomination and pay the required filing fees. The declaration must include an oath of candidacy, which the candidate is required to sign to affirm that, under the state constitution and applicable federal and state laws, he or she is qualified to hold the office being sought. This paperwork must be filed with the Montana Secretary of State if the office being sought is a congressional seat, a state or district office voted for in more than one county, or a state legislative seat.[1][2]
Filing fees are established in Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202, of the Montana Code Annotated 2013. These fees are summarized in the table below.[3]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | How the fee is determined |
| For offices earning an annual salary of $2,500 or less and members of the state legislature | $15 |
| For offices (except county-level) earning an annual salary of more than $2,500 | 1% of salary |
| For offices in which compensation is paid in fees | $10 |
For independent, indigent, and non-qualified party candidates
See statutes: Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501 of the Montana Code Annotated 2013
In order to qualify for placement on the general election ballot, a candidate must file an "Independent, Minor Party, or Indigent Candidate Declaration, Oath of Candidacy, and Petition for Nomination." Independent and non-qualified party candidates are liable for the same filing fees as qualified party candidates (see table above). Indigent candidates (i.e., those who do not have the resources to pay the filing fees) are not required to pay the statutory filing fees and may have their names placed on the ballot via the petition process only.[4][5]
Nominating petitions must be signed by electors residing within the state and district or political subdivision in which the official is to be elected. Valid signatures must total at least 5 percent of the total votes cast at the last general election for the successful candidate for the office being sought.[6]
For write-in candidates
In order to have his or her votes counted, a write-in candidate must submit to the Montana Secretary of State a "Declaration of Intent and Oath of Candidacy" and pay the requisite filing fees (noted above).[7]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Montana State Senate, a candidate must be:[8]
- A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
- A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $104.86/legislative day | $171/day |
When sworn in
Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If January 1 is a Monday, legislators assume office on the first Wednesday.[10]
Montana political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Montana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in Montana
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
58.4
|
352,079 | 4 |
|
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
38.5
|
231,906 | 0 | |
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| Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent) |
2.0
|
11,825 | 0 | |
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| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.7
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4,275 | 0 | |
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| Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) |
0.5
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2,878 | 0 | |
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| Shiva Ayyadurai (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
21 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
|
6 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 602,990 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
56.9
|
343,602 | 3 |
|
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
40.5
|
244,786 | 0 | |
|
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
2.5
|
15,252 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
|
55 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 603,695 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Montana, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 35.7% | 177,709 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
56.2% | 279,240 | 3 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 5.6% | 28,037 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.6% | 7,970 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Roque De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.3% | 1,570 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 0.5% | 2,621 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 497,147 | 3 | |||
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission | |||||
Montana presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 10 Democratic wins
- 21 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
Montana enacted new legislative district boundaries after the 2020 census on February 22, 2023, when the Montana Districting & Apportionment Commission (MDAC) submitted its final plan to the secretary of state. The commission had voted 3-2 to approve the final plan on February 11, 2023. The two Democratic-appointed commissioners and the commission's chairperson—that the state supreme court appointed—voted to approve the plan. The two Republican-appointed commissioners voted against it. These districts will take effect for the 2024 elections.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Major Party Candidates," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2013, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2013, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Independent, Minor Party and Indigent Candidates," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2013, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Code Annotated 2013, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 502," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Write-in Candidates," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Legislative Services, "Constitution of Montana," accessed March 6, 2014 (Referenced Art. V, Sec. 4)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Montana State Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated 2021, 5-2-102. Term of office," accessed November 4, 2021
