2020 Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction election
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 County resultsArntzen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Romano: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the superintendent of public instruction of the state of Montana. It coincided with the concurrent presidential election, as well as various state and local elections, including for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and governor of Montana. Incumbent Republican superintendent of public instruction Elsie Arntzen was re-elected to a second term in office, defeating Democratic challenger Melissa Romano.[1] Primary elections took place on June 2.[2]
Candidates
Nominee
- Elsie Arntzen, incumbent state superintendent[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elsie Arntzen (incumbent) | 178,156 | 99.98% | |
| Write-in | 32 | 0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 178,188 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Elsie Arntzen (R) |
Melissa Romano (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategies 360/NBCMT[7] | October 15–20, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 39% | 41% | 21%[b] |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elsie Arntzen (incumbent) | 310,111 | 52.19% | ||
| Democratic | Melissa Romano | 259,886 | 43.74% | ||
| Libertarian | Kevin Leatherbarrow | 24,202 | 4.07% | ||
| Total votes | 594,199 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County[8] | Elsie Arntzen Republican |
Melissa Romano Democratic |
Kevin Leatherbarrow Libertarian |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Beaverhead | 3,609 | 64.64% | 1,766 | 31.63% | 208 | 3.73% | 1,843 | 33.01% | 5,583 |
| Big Horn | 1,878 | 39.44% | 2,721 | 57.14% | 163 | 3.42% | -843 | -17.70% | 4,762 |
| Blaine | 1,258 | 40.52% | 1,764 | 56.81% | 83 | 2.67% | -506 | -16.30% | 3,105 |
| Broadwater | 2,894 | 71.74% | 994 | 24.64% | 146 | 3.62% | 1,900 | 47.10% | 4,034 |
| Carbon | 4,196 | 59.88% | 2,539 | 36.24% | 272 | 3.88% | 1,657 | 23.65% | 7,007 |
| Carter | 725 | 85.90% | 100 | 11.85% | 19 | 2.25% | 625 | 74.05% | 844 |
| Cascade | 19,908 | 50.52% | 17,839 | 45.27% | 1,656 | 4.20% | 2,069 | 5.25% | 39,403 |
| Chouteau | 1,632 | 55.64% | 1,187 | 40.47% | 114 | 3.89% | 445 | 15.17% | 2,933 |
| Custer | 3,789 | 65.44% | 1,770 | 30.57% | 231 | 3.99% | 2,019 | 34.87% | 5,790 |
| Daniels | 713 | 72.61% | 237 | 24.13% | 32 | 3.26% | 476 | 48.47% | 982 |
| Dawson | 3,382 | 71.02% | 1,226 | 25.75% | 154 | 3.23% | 2,156 | 45.28% | 4,762 |
| Deer Lodge | 1,778 | 36.75% | 2,837 | 58.64% | 223 | 4.61% | -1,059 | -21.89% | 4,838 |
| Fallon | 1,234 | 82.27% | 224 | 14.93% | 42 | 2.80% | 1,010 | 67.33% | 1,500 |
| Fergus | 4,496 | 69.97% | 1,754 | 27.30% | 176 | 2.74% | 2,742 | 42.67% | 6,426 |
| Flathead | 35,707 | 60.70% | 20,787 | 35.34% | 2,332 | 3.96% | 14,920 | 25.36% | 58,826 |
| Gallatin | 29,668 | 43.08% | 35,598 | 51.69% | 3,596 | 5.22% | -5,930 | -8.61% | 68,862 |
| Garfield | 702 | 88.75% | 65 | 8.22% | 24 | 3.03% | 637 | 80.53% | 791 |
| Glacier | 1,583 | 27.96% | 3,875 | 68.45% | 203 | 3.59% | -2,292 | -40.49% | 5,661 |
| Golden Valley | 394 | 78.80% | 92 | 18.40% | 14 | 2.80% | 302 | 60.40% | 500 |
| Granite | 1,258 | 60.83% | 717 | 34.67% | 93 | 4.50% | 541 | 26.16% | 2,068 |
| Hill | 3,352 | 47.05% | 3,414 | 47.92% | 359 | 5.04% | -62 | -0.87% | 7,125 |
| Jefferson | 4,779 | 59.31% | 2,995 | 37.17% | 284 | 3.52% | 1,784 | 22.14% | 8,058 |
| Judith Basin | 953 | 71.76% | 341 | 25.68% | 34 | 2.56% | 612 | 46.08% | 1,328 |
| Lake | 8,500 | 51.84% | 7,258 | 44.26% | 639 | 3.90% | 1,242 | 7.57% | 16,397 |
| Lewis and Clark | 18,684 | 44.65% | 21,414 | 51.17% | 1,748 | 4.18% | -2,730 | -6.52% | 41,846 |
| Liberty | 694 | 65.16% | 333 | 31.27% | 38 | 3.57% | 361 | 33.90% | 1,065 |
| Lincoln | 8,117 | 70.38% | 2,958 | 25.65% | 458 | 3.97% | 5,159 | 44.73% | 11,533 |
| Madison | 3,884 | 65.15% | 1,869 | 31.35% | 209 | 3.51% | 2,015 | 33.80% | 5,962 |
| McCone | 890 | 80.32% | 178 | 16.06% | 40 | 3.61% | 712 | 64.26% | 1,108 |
| Meagher | 772 | 70.44% | 282 | 25.73% | 42 | 3.83% | 490 | 44.71% | 1,096 |
| Mineral | 1,636 | 64.89% | 755 | 29.95% | 130 | 5.16% | 881 | 34.95% | 2,521 |
| Missoula | 23,950 | 34.11% | 43,453 | 61.88% | 2,813 | 4.01% | -19,503 | -27.78% | 70,216 |
| Musselshell | 2,200 | 77.44% | 524 | 18.44% | 117 | 4.12% | 1,676 | 58.99% | 2,841 |
| Park | 5,484 | 48.20% | 5,408 | 47.53% | 486 | 4.27% | 76 | 0.67% | 11,378 |
| Petroleum | 279 | 81.10% | 54 | 15.70% | 11 | 3.20% | 225 | 65.41% | 344 |
| Phillips | 1,783 | 76.16% | 491 | 20.97% | 67 | 2.86% | 1,292 | 55.19% | 2,341 |
| Pondera | 1,735 | 58.42% | 1,124 | 37.85% | 111 | 3.74% | 611 | 20.57% | 2,970 |
| Powder River | 885 | 80.38% | 179 | 16.26% | 37 | 3.36% | 706 | 64.12% | 1,101 |
| Powell | 2,060 | 65.56% | 964 | 30.68% | 118 | 3.76% | 1,096 | 34.88% | 3,142 |
| Prairie | 543 | 75.52% | 147 | 20.45% | 29 | 4.03% | 396 | 55.08% | 719 |
| Ravalli | 17,968 | 63.95% | 9,151 | 32.57% | 977 | 3.48% | 8,817 | 31.38% | 28,096 |
| Richland | 4,382 | 77.39% | 1,057 | 18.67% | 223 | 3.94% | 3,325 | 58.72% | 5,662 |
| Roosevelt | 1,738 | 43.84% | 2,052 | 51.77% | 174 | 4.39% | -314 | -7.92% | 3,964 |
| Rosebud | 2,204 | 59.14% | 1,392 | 37.35% | 131 | 3.51% | 812 | 21.79% | 3,727 |
| Sanders | 5,148 | 68.76% | 2,025 | 27.05% | 314 | 4.19% | 3,123 | 41.71% | 7,487 |
| Sheridan | 1,259 | 64.30% | 621 | 31.72% | 78 | 3.98% | 638 | 32.58% | 1,958 |
| Silver Bow | 6,354 | 34.42% | 11,356 | 61.52% | 749 | 4.06% | -5,002 | -27.10% | 18,459 |
| Stillwater | 4,062 | 71.53% | 1,429 | 25.16% | 188 | 3.31% | 2,633 | 46.36% | 5,679 |
| Sweet Grass | 1,700 | 70.16% | 629 | 25.96% | 94 | 3.88% | 1,071 | 44.20% | 2,423 |
| Teton | 2,243 | 61.33% | 1,285 | 35.14% | 129 | 3.53% | 958 | 26.20% | 3,657 |
| Toole | 1,419 | 68.16% | 574 | 27.57% | 89 | 4.27% | 845 | 40.59% | 2,082 |
| Treasure | 350 | 76.42% | 101 | 22.05% | 7 | 1.53% | 249 | 54.37% | 458 |
| Valley | 2,664 | 63.93% | 1,344 | 32.25% | 159 | 3.82% | 1,320 | 31.68% | 4,167 |
| Wheatland | 749 | 71.67% | 261 | 24.98% | 35 | 3.35% | 488 | 46.70% | 1,045 |
| Wibaux | 431 | 74.70% | 124 | 21.49% | 22 | 3.81% | 307 | 53.21% | 577 |
| Yellowstone | 45,456 | 54.77% | 34,252 | 41.27% | 3,282 | 3.95% | 11,204 | 13.50% | 82,990 |
| Totals | 310,111 | 52.19% | 259,886 | 43.74% | 24,202 | 4.07% | 50,225 | 8.45% | 594,199 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Cascade (largest city: Great Falls)
Notes
References
- ↑ https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2020/10/31/montana-school-superintendent-face-each-other-second-time-elsie-arntzen-melissa-romano/6101933002/
- ↑ "2020 State Primary Election Dates". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ "State superintendent Elsie Arntzen announces campaign for second term". 8 KPAX. MTN News. June 12, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- 1 2 Stapleton, Corey (June 2, 2020). "2020 STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION CANVASS" (PDF). Secretary of State of Montana. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 14, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- 1 2 Stapleton, Corey (June 2, 2020). "2020 STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION CANVASS ABSTRACT OF WRITE-IN VOTES" (PDF). Secretary of State of Montana. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ Michels, Holly K. (April 30, 2019). "Romano to take another run at top education job in 2020". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ Strategies 360/NBCMT
- 1 2 Stapleton, Corey (November 3, 2020). "2020 STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTION CANVASS" (PDF). Secretary of State of Montana. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
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