Republican Greg Gianforte wins re-election as governor in Montana

HELENA, Mont. — Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte won a second four-year term on Tuesday, defeating his Democratic challenger Ryan Busse.

The victory continues Republican control in a state where the GOP also held a supermajority in the state legislature.

Governor Greg Gianforte released the following statement after his victory in the Montana gubernatorial election:

“Being governor of Montana is the greatest honor of my life. Kristen and I are deeply grateful to be able to serve the people of Montana for another four years to continue to deliver on our promises to create more good-paying jobs in Montana, create more opportunities for more Montanans to achieve the American Dream, and our Protecting the way of life in Montana. With what we have been able to accomplish together, Montana can and should be a role model for our sometimes fragmented nation.

“The win tonight has nothing to do with me. It's about all of us. And we will continue the work together to make the American dream more attainable for all Montanans.

“We live in an inspiring place – full of good people who work hard every day. I am filled with great optimism. Optimism for our country. Optimism for our people. Optimism for our future.

“Thank you, Montana, for trusting Kristen and me for another four years. With a heart full of gratitude, it’s time to get back to work.”

Gianforte's first term as governor was largely free of controversy – aside from clashes with the Montana Supreme Court over laws on abortion access and gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth – as he put behind him a criminal case that ended his political career early thwarted the plan.

In 2017, he punched a reporter and was charged with a misdemeanor. He still won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that year and then won the race for governor in 2020.

During his campaign, Gianforte indicated that his administration would use part of a $2.6 billion pandemic-related budget surplus to cut income and corporate taxes, provide income and property tax refunds, pay down the national debt, and to fill emergency funds.

Gianforte told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Bozeman that he was proud of what his administration has accomplished, including cutting taxes and reducing the number of children in foster care.

“Serving as your governor for the past four years has been the greatest honor of my life,” he said. “And now we get four more years.”

Busse tried to gain a foothold as a Democrat in a Republican-dominated state while advocating for responsible gun ownership, abortion rights, lower property taxes and making sure the rich pay their fair share of taxes.

In another key race, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke faced a tougher challenge from a veteran activist, Democrat Monica Tranel, an environmental lawyer he narrowly defeated two years ago.

Zinke is recovering from his resignation as Interior secretary under former President Donald Trump in 2018 amid numerous ethics investigations. He was elected to the House twice before joining Trump's Cabinet and returned in 2022 after winning in a newly created congressional district.

Tranel made Zinke's ownership of rental properties, including short-term rentals, a campaign issue.

In Zinke's financial disclosures as a candidate for the House of Representatives, he and his wife report having properties valued at between $9 million and $39 million. Tranel's disclosure shows that she and her husband have retirement savings and other investments valued at between $4.25 million and nearly $12 million. The disclosures enable reporting within a wide range of values.

During his first term, Gianforte commanded a Republican supermajority in the Legislature, which passed bills to restrict access to abortion, allow the governor to directly appoint judges and judges when interim vacancies arose, and provide gender-affirming medical care for to block underage transgender people. Only the judge appointment law was confirmed by the courts.

He has highlighted his $300 million investment in behavioral health, his efforts to eliminate state bureaucracy and the creation of a housing task force to recommend legislation to improve the availability of affordable housing in Montana. One recommendation lawmakers could consider in 2025 is not taxing a certain portion of a home's value.

Busse said Gianforte spent millions of dollars of his personal wealth in 2020 to buy the governor's office and watched as Montana became unaffordable for the average citizen, particularly due to what Gianforte said was a rise in housing costs and increased property taxes after not having mitigated.

Busse and Tranel attempted to portray Gianforte and Zinke as wealthy and out of touch with regular Montana residents.

“Now you may not be hurting — you have four mansions, you’re flying around in a private jet,” Busse told Gianforte during their Oct. 16 debate, “but the rest of us are hurting.”

Gianforte and his wife Susan founded the customer service software company RightNow Technologies, which was sold to Oracle in early 2012 for about $1.5 billion. Busse's 2014-2023 tax returns show he and his wife earned about $260,000 annually over the past decade.