2008 Montana gubernatorial election

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. 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 U.S. Representative and a future U.S. Senator.

2008 Montana gubernatorial election

← 2004 November 4, 2008 2012 →
Turnout74.5%Increase3.1[1]
 
Nominee Brian Schweitzer Roy Brown
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate John Bohlinger Steve Daines
Popular vote 318,670 158,268
Percentage 65.5% 32.5%

County results
Schweitzer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Brown:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Brian Schweitzer
Democratic

Elected Governor

Brian Schweitzer
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[2]
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

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Candidates

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Primary results

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Republican primary results[2]
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

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Candidates

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General election

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Predictions

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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

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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

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2008 Montana gubernatorial election[14]
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

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References

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  1. ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "2008 Statewide Primary Canvass - June 3rd, 2008" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "2008 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "2008 Gubernatorial Ratings". Gubernatorial Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "THE LAST LAST WORD The Crystal Ball's Final Projections for the 2008 Election". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  6. ^ "2008 Montana Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. November 4, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  7. ^ Public Policy Polling
  8. ^ Rasmussen Reports
  9. ^ The Mellman Group (D)
  10. ^ Rasmussen Reports
  11. ^ Rasmussen Reports
  12. ^ Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers
  13. ^ Mason Dixon/Lee Newspapers
  14. ^ "2008 Statewide General Canvass - November 4th, 2008" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
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