Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Montana State Senate elections, 2024

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • State ballot measures • All other local • How to run for office
Flag of Montana.png


2026
2022
2024 Montana
Senate Elections
Flag of Montana.png
PrimaryJune 4, 2024
GeneralNovember 5, 2024
Past Election Results
20222020201820162014
201220102008
2024 Elections
Choose a chamber below:

Elections for the Montana State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 4, 2024. The filing deadline was March 11, 2024.

Following the election, Republicans lost a legislative veto-proof majority but maintained a 32-18 Senate majority. Democrats needed to gain one Senate seat or two House seats to break the Republican legislative veto-proof majority. Republicans needed to lose no Senate seats and fewer than two House seats to maintain the Republican legislative veto-proof majority.

The Montana State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Montana State Senate
Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
     Democratic Party 16 18
     Republican Party 34 32
Total 50 50

Candidates

General election

Montana State Senate general election 2024

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngDave Fern

Doug Adams  Candidate Connection

District 3

Angela Kennedy  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCarl Glimm (i)

District 5

Link Neimark  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Regier

District 7

Craig Pablo

Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Hertz (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngJoshua Kassmier

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngGregg Hunter

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngJonathan Windy Boy

Perri Jacobs

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngBob Phalen

District 20

Linda Auch

Green check mark transparent.pngSue Vinton

District 21

Sharon Stewart-Peregoy

Green check mark transparent.pngGayle Lammers  Candidate Connection

District 24

Mark Nicholson  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Yakawich

District 26

Karen Lyncoln  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngTom McGillvray (i)

District 27

Kathleen Gilluly  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngVince Ricci

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngCora Neumann

Tyler Rogers

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Pope (i)

Neal Ganser  Candidate Connection

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngTony Tezak

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngSara Novak

Darlean Newman  Candidate Connection

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngDerek Harvey

Jim Kephart

District 38

Jeffrey Benson

Green check mark transparent.pngBecky Beard (i)

District 39

Bruce Shultz

Green check mark transparent.pngWylie Galt

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngLaura Smith

Greg Guthrie

District 44

Cade Scatolini

Green check mark transparent.pngTheresa Manzella (i)

District 45

Devin Jackson  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDenley Loge

Kelley Durbin-Williams (Independent)

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngJacinda Morigeau

Charles Headley

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngEllie Boldman (i)

Abigail Maki

Primary

Montana State Senate primary 2024

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngDave Fern

Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Adams  Candidate Connection

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngAngela Kennedy  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCarl Glimm (i)

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngLink Neimark  Candidate Connection

Marquis Laude  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Regier

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Pablo

Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Hertz (i)

District 13

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngJoshua Kassmier
Lola Sheldon-Galloway

District 15

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngGregg Hunter
Rhonda Knudsen

District 16

Bridget Smith
Green check mark transparent.pngJonathan Windy Boy

Green check mark transparent.pngPerri Jacobs

District 17

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Mike Newton
Green check mark transparent.pngBob Phalen

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngLinda Auch

Green check mark transparent.pngSue Vinton

District 21

Rae Peppers
Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Stewart-Peregoy

Green check mark transparent.pngGayle Lammers  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Christian Takesenemy 

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Nicholson  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Yakawich

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Lyncoln  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngTom McGillvray (i)

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngKathleen Gilluly  Candidate Connection

Chris Friedel (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngVince Ricci

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngCora Neumann

Green check mark transparent.pngTyler Rogers

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Pope (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngNeal Ganser  Candidate Connection

District 35

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Mark McGinley
Ray Shaw
Green check mark transparent.pngTony Tezak

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngSara Novak
Jessica Wicks  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDarlean Newman  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Suzzann Nordwick 

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngDerek Harvey

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Kephart

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngJeffrey Benson

Green check mark transparent.pngBecky Beard (i)
Gregory Frazer
Jeremy Mygland

Did not make the ballot:
Jim Kephart 

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Shultz

Green check mark transparent.pngWylie Galt

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngLaura Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Guthrie

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngCade Scatolini

Green check mark transparent.pngTheresa Manzella (i)
Brad Davis
Wayne Rusk

District 45

Green check mark transparent.pngDevin Jackson  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDenley Loge
Annamarie White

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngJacinda Morigeau
C. B. Pearson

Did not make the ballot:
Gwen Nicholson 

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Headley

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngEllie Boldman (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngAbigail Maki
Erica Siate

Voting information

See also: Voting in Montana

Election information in Montana: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 7, 2024
  • Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 7, 2024 to Nov. 4, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MST)


General election race ratings

The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.

Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 14, 2024

Incumbents defeated in general elections

See also: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2024

No incumbents lost in general elections. The average number of incumbents defeated in general elections from 2010 to 2022 was 0.7.

Incumbents defeated in primaries

See also: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2024

One incumbent lost in a primary. This was the fourth election cycle in a row where one incumbent lost a primary.


Name Party Office
Chris Friedel Ends.png Republican Senate District 27

Retiring incumbents

See also: Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2024

Seventeen incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] This was the highest number of retirements since Ballotpedia began tracking competitiveness statistics in 2010. Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
Keith Regier Ends.png Republican Senate District 3
Greg Hinkle Ends.png Republican Senate District 7
Steve Fitzpatrick Ends.png Republican Senate District 10[2]
Dan Bartel Ends.png Republican Senate District 15
Mike Fox Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 16
Mike Lang Ends.png Republican Senate District 17
Barry Usher Ends.png Republican Senate District 18[2]
Jason Small Ends.png Republican Senate District 21
Jen Gross Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 25[2]
Brad Molnar Ends.png Republican Senate District 28[2]
Walt Sales Ends.png Republican Senate District 35
Jeffrey Welborn Ends.png Republican Senate District 36
Ryan Lynch Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 37
Edith McClafferty Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 38
Terry Vermeire Ends.png Republican Senate District 39
Shannon O'Brien Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 46
Daniel Salomon Ends.png Republican Senate District 47

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Montana. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Montana in 2024. Information below was calculated on May 31, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Montana had 60 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, a new high and an increase of 36% from the preceding cycle.

See also

Montana State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
Seal of Montana.png
SLP badge.png
Ballotpedia RSS.jpg
Montana State Executive Offices
Montana State Legislature
Montana Courts
State legislative elections:
202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Montana elections:
20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Primary elections in Montana
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Although this district was not on the ballot in 2024, because of the staggered terms in the Senate, its incumbent was eligible to run for re-election. For information, see this article by Daily Montanan.
  3. Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
  4. Montana Secretary of State, "Candidates information," accessed April 28, 2025
  5. Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 201," accessed April 28, 2025
  6. Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 202," accessed April 28, 2025
  7. Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Independent, Minor Party and Indigent Candidates," accessed January 7, 2014
  8. Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 501," accessed April 28, 2025
  9. Montana Code Annotated 2023, "Title 13, Chapter 10, Section 502," accessed April 28, 2025
  10. Montana Secretary of State, "Information for Write-in Candidates," accessed April 27, 2025
  11. Montana Legislative Services, "Constitution of Montana," accessed March 6, 2014 (Referenced Art. V, Sec. 4)
  12. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  13. Montana State Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated 2021, 5-2-102. Term of office," accessed November 4, 2021


Current members of the Montana State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Matt Regier
Majority Leader:Tom McGillvray
Senators
District 1
District 2
Dave Fern (D)
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
John Esp (R)
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (18)