Recap: Here's how Election Day 2024 unfolded in Montana

The Montana State News Bureau has reporters around the state covering key races on election night.

Check back here for regular updates on races up and down the ballot, from the most-watched U.S. Senate race in the nation to all the statewide election offices and Supreme Court seats. The team of journalists will also be monitoring the ballot measure to codify the right to access an abortion into the state Constitution, as well as two efforts to change how elections work in Montana.

Expect updates as major counties report results, as well as when the Associated Press calls races. The Montana State News Bureau relies on the AP to call races, which is done by AP's Decision Team. That includes analysts who use data including vote totals, votes by county, type of ballots cast and more. Only when it's unquestionably clear a trailing candidate cannot catch the leader does AP issue a race call. It's possible major races may not be called Tuesday night, including the U.S. Senate contest.

In an early morning address to supporters gathered at a Great Falls hotel, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on Wednesday morning said he had called his Republican opponent Tim Sheehy and congratulated him on his victory.

Tester was trying to win his fourth term to the U.S. Senate but was defeated by Sheehy in a race called by the Associated Press early Wednesday morning. Sheehy had 53% of the vote to Tester's 45% in a night where all the statewide Democrats running for office appear to have been defeated.

"I called Tim Sheehy, I congratulated him on being the senator-elect for the state of Montana, and I told him — work hard," Tester said.

Tester also thanked his family, campaign and office staff and volunteers that worked on his race.

"I'm very blessed. I've had a great 18 years in the U.S. Senate. I've met some incredible people along the way, and had the opportunity to do some great things to help move this state forward, move the country forward. I wish Senator-elect Sheehy all the best, because, quite frankly, it's really important that we have good leadership in Washington, D.C.," Tester said.

" ... I'm gonna be able to go back to the farm and maybe enlarge it a little bit and really focus on production agriculture and helping my son work on a few cars."

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, the Associated Press declared Republican and political newcomer Tim Sheehy the winner of Montana's U.S. Senate race. Sheehy has defeated three-term incumbent Democrat Jon Tester.

At 4:30 a.m. Sheehy had 53% of the vote to Tester's 45%.

30 p.m.

Tranel, at an election night party in Missoula, told supporters they still had a long night ahead. Only 31 of the district's 345 precincts were fully reported.

Republican Troy Downing will be the next congressman in Montana's eastern House seat, according to a race call issued by the Associated Press at 11:02 p.m. Tuesday. Downing spoke to supporters in Billings, pledging to fight for the state's veterans, seniors and most vulnerable. By midnight he had 71% of the vote to 28% for Driscoll, according to numbers from the secretary of state. That was with 92 of the district's 383 precincts fully reported.

As results are slow to come in from the state's major counties, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester addressed his supporters in Great Falls.

"I have never had a race that is called on election night, and I don't anticipate this one is going to be called on election night either," Tester told a group at a hotel here.

"I would just tell you that this is a prediction that I made 20 months ago when this campaign started: I said this is going to be a very, very close election. It is going to be a close election. Every vote matters in close elections, but I will tell you this ... with your help and with the folks who are standing in line, we're going to win this," Tester predicted, telling those in line to vote to wait it out.

By 9 p.m. the Montana Secretary of State's website had reported 31,550 votes counted in the race from rural counties that are heavily Republican. Sheehy had 54% of the vote to Tester's 44%. Less than 4% of precincts were reporting statewide.

It appears Republican former President Donald Trump will secure Montana's four electoral votes. The Associated Press called Montana for Trump shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. While very few votes have been counted, it's not uncommon for The Associated Press to call landslide races at poll closing times.

It appears Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has fended off a challenge from Democrat Ryan Busse to secure a second term. The Associated Press called the race when polls closed at 8 p.m., even with very low percentages of votes having been counted.

Gianforte's campaign relied heavily on a message of economic prosperity, while Busse focused much of his bid on blaming the Republican governor for the massive rise in property taxes Montanans saw last year. Polling through the race showed Gianforte with a consistent large lead, even as some metrics flagged concerns about how voters felt about his job performance.

"I reaffirm to you that I will continue to serve all Montanans because I truly believe that we have more in common than separates us," Gianforte told a group of supporters at a watch party in downtown Bozeman.

Polls around Montana officially closed at 8 p.m., but those who are in line are still able to vote.

Election results will not start to roll in for the larger counties immediately, as elections administrators are not able to report any vote counts until everyone in line has voted in their respective county.

In Gallatin County, where wait times to register were hovering around five to six hours midday, there's still a line of voters through a tent and down the block in the declining temperatures. Those waiting on line were given items to keep warm and food while they stood outside.

In the smaller counties, vote counts could start coming in as there won't be large swaths of voters waiting to cast their ballots.

Election results could be held up for hours after the polls close in major counties as they expect voters to still be waiting in lines for hours after 8 p.m.

In Cascade County, voters filled the Montana ExpoPark both to vote and to register and then vote. Some still deep in line reported waiting four hours, while others said they were told to expect a six-hour wait to register.

Terry Thompson, the Cascade County election administrator, said the flood of people will cause late results.

"We can't report any numbers until the last voter is out," Thompson said Tuesday afternoon. She added that counties around the state were reporting similar issues. She said there were no specific issues causing delays and attributed the waits to the large number of people wanting to cast a ballot.

"We're just going to keep doing what we're doing, it's all we can do," Thompson said. She said the Secretary of State's Office was sending an employee to help out, though they'd only be able to stay until 7 p.m.

Voters around the state are seeing long lines to either register to vote or cast their ballots on Election Day as bad weather hit much of Montana.

In Bozeman, where the snow fell and the wind blew consistently throughout the day, wait times to register to vote were between five and six hours at the Main Street elections department.

Gallatin County clerk and recorder, Eric Semerad, who was being pulled in all different directions Tuesday, said so far everything was running as "usual."

In Missoula, Conall Powers had already registered, but stood with his girlfriend Bella Ramos in the 41-degree afternoon. Both said they were looking forward to voting for former president Donald Trump. Powers said immigration and the economy were his top issues this year.

A couple hours north in Browning, get-out-the-vote organizers are getting creative.

Sponsored by the Montana Democratic Party, organizers for Sen. Jon Tester are giving rides to the polls on the Blackfeet Reservation in a pink Stretch Hummer Limo. People can call 406-230-6396 to schedule a ride.

And in Cascade County, voters filled Montana ExpoPark as the line to register to vote was reportedly between two and five hours long, with some people waiting since 11 a.m still not at the table to register.

U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jon Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy

Montana's Senate contest is not only one of the most anticipated races in the state, but in the nation.

Three-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who has narrowly eked out victories over formidable Republican challengers in past elections, is being challenged by political newcomer and Navy SEAL veteran Tim Sheehy. Libertarian Sid Daoud, chairman of the Montana Libertarian Party, has also held firm in the contest.

Because of how the political chips have fallen, the winner of Montana's Senate race is likely to determine which party controls the chamber, where the Democrats currently have a slim majority.

Ballot measure to codify abortion access Though abortion until the point of fetal viability is legal in Montana, that's only under legal precedent. Constitutional Initiative 128 would add the explicit right to access an abortion to the state Constitution, as well as allow the procedure after viability to protect the life or health of a pregnant person. It would also ensure medical providers cannot be punished for providing care. The ballot measure was backed by a coalition that spent millions in support of it and faced opposition from groups including those with religious affiliations.

Western House race re-match between incumbent Republican Ryan Zinke and Democrat Monica Tranel Republican Ryan Zinke and Democrat Monica Tranel first faced off two years ago for Montana's newly drawn western U.S. House seat. This year is a rematch between the now-incumbent Zinke and Tranel, a lawyer in Missoula.

During the 2022 election, Zinke emerged victorious with 49.6% of the vote to Tranel's 46.5% in the state's newly drawn congressional district.

The race to be the next chief justice of Montana's supreme court, plus an associate justice seat and the clerk position With Chief Justice Mike McGrath's pending retirement, former federal magistrate Jeremiah Lynch and Broadwater County Attorney Cory Swanson are vying to run the state's high court. For an associate justice seat, Flathead Judge Dan Wilson is squaring off against eastern Montana Judge Katherine Bidegaray. For the partisan clerk race, Republican incumbent Bowen Greenwood is facing Democrat and lawyer Erin Ferris-Olsen.

The race to be Montana's next governor, plus the other Land Board offices Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Gianforte waged his reelection bid on his economic record, while Democratic challenger Ryan Busse ran a firebrand campaign attacking Gianforte over a massive rise in property taxes. Further down the ballot, incumbent Republican Christi Jacobsen ran to keep her position as Secretary of State against Democrat Jesse Mullen, incumbent GOP Attorney General Austin Knudsen faced Democratic lawyer Ben Alke.

The Office of Public Instruction did not have an incumbent this year as outgoing Republican Elsie Arntzen was termed out; Republican Susie Hedalen and Democrat Shannon O'Brien competed for the post. And with GOP state Auditor Troy Downing running for the eastern congressional district, the office was open for Republican James Brown and Democrat John Repke to compete for.

Two ballot measures aiming to change Montana's elections

After months of signature gathering, millions of dollars spent, legal challenges and stiff opposition from large portions of Montana's Republican Party, Montanans for Election Reform's two separate, but related initiatives will meet their fate.

The first of the group's initiatives, CI-126, would amend the state's Constitution to require a top-four primary election for all statewide candidates. CI-127 would likewise amend the Montana Constitution to provide that candidates must get over 50% of the vote, as opposed to a simple plurality of the vote. If this initiative passes, the Legislature will be tasked with deciding on a mechanism — like ranked choice voting, for example — to implement if a candidate does not get a majority of the vote.

Supporters of the measure say the changes would result in electing candidates that better represent bigger portions of the state, while opponents (including the state Republican Party) argue they'd make elections more confusing and costly.

Eastern House contest between Republican Troy Downing and John Driscoll Republican Troy Downing emerged from a crowded GOP primary to become the party's nominee for this deeply red district. He faced Democrat John Driscoll, who did not break the $5,000 spending threshold that would have required reporting his campaign's finances to the Federal Election Commission. The race also included Democrat Reilly Neill's write-in campaign, as well as the nonpartisan effort from John Metzger.

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