2008 Montana gubernatorial election
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The 2008 Montana gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Montana. Incumbent governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who was elected to his first four-year term in 2004, was elected to a second term with 65.5% of the vote, despite John McCain narrowly carrying the state during the concurrent presidential election. Incumbent lieutenant governor John Bohlinger, a Republican who was once again Schweitzer's running mate, was reelected to a second term. The Republican nominee was Roy Brown, a member of the Montana Senate. Brown's running mate was businessman Steve Daines, a future member of both chambers of Congress.
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November 4, 2008
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| Turnout | 74.5% 3.1[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Schweitzer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Brown: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Brian Schweitzer, incumbent governor of Montana, 2000 U.S. Senate nominee and rancher
- John Bohlinger, incumbent lieutenant governor of Montana and former Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives and Montana Senate
- William Fischer, small businessman involved in the logging industry in Lakeside, Montana
- Steve White, small business owner in the telecommunications industry in Kalispell, Montana
- Don Pogreba, Shelby native, English and debate teacher at Helena High School
- Jason Neiffer, Great Falls native, history teacher at Capital High School
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brian Schweitzer (incumbent) | 159,820 | 91.30 | |
| Democratic | William Fischer | 9,865 | 5.64 | |
| Democratic | Donald Pogreba | 5,358 | 3.06 | |
| Total votes | 175,043 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Roy Brown, businessman, member of the Montana Senate and former Majority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives
- Steve Daines, businessman
- Larry H. Steele, 2007 candidate for Mayor of Great Falls and 2006 candidate for the Montana House of Representatives
- Harold Luce
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roy Brown | 65,883 | 80.81 | |
| Republican | Larry Steele | 15,643 | 19.19 | |
| Total votes | 81,526 | 100.00 | ||
Libertarian primary
Candidates
- Stan Jones, business consultant and United States Air Force veteran
- Michael Baker
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[3] | Safe D | October 16, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[4] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Safe D | November 3, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[6] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Brian Schweitzer (D) |
Roy Brown (R) |
Stan Jones (L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[7] | November 2, 2008 | 62% | 36% | – |
| Rasmussen Reports[8] | October 1, 2008 | 56% | 41% | – |
| The Mellman Group (D)[9] | September 16–18, 2008 | 63% | 24% | – |
| Rasmussen Reports[10] | July 29, 2008 | 56% | 32% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[11] | June 30, 2008 | 61% | 32% | 3% |
| Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers[12] | May 19–21, 2008 | 55% | 30% | – |
| Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers[13] | December 17–19, 2007 | 55% | 30% | – |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brian Schweitzer (incumbent) | 318,670 | 65.47% | +15.04% | |
| Republican | Roy Brown | 158,268 | 32.52% | −13.50% | |
| Libertarian | Stan Jones | 9,796 | 2.01% | +0.35% | |
| Total votes | 486,734 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Beaverhead (largest city: Dillon)
- Broadwater (largest city: Townsend)
- Custer (largest city: Miles City)
- Daniels (largest city: Scobey)
- Fallon (largest city: Baker)
- Fergus (largest city: Lewistown)
- Flathead (largest city: Kalispell)
- Golden Valley (largest city: Ryegate)
- Granite (largest city: Philipsburg)
- Jefferson (largest city: Clancy)
- Judith Basin (largest city: Stanford)
- Liberty (largest city: Chester)
- Lincoln (largest city: Libby)
- Madison (largest city: Ennis)
- McCone (largest city: Circle)
- Phillips (largest city: Malta)
- Pondera (largest city: Conrad)
- Powell (largest city: Deer Lodge)
- Prairie (largest city: Terry)
- Ravalli (largest city: Hamilton)
- Richland (largest city: Sidney)
- Rosebud (largest city: Colstrip)
- Dawson (Largest city: Glendive)
- Mineral (Largest city: Superior)
- Gallatin (largest city: Bozeman)
- Chouteau (largest municipality: Fort Benton)
- Sanders (largest city: Thompson Falls)
- Stillwater (largest city: Columbus)
- Teton (largest city: Choteau)
- Toole (largest city: Shelby)
- Wheatland (largest city: Harlowton)
- Wibaux (largest city: Wibaux)