MISSOULA — The polls have closed for the Tuesday, June 4, 2024, election and the results for races across Western Montana are being tallied.
Visit https://electionresults.mt.gov/ to view the preliminary election results from across Montana.
United State Senate
Incumbent U.S. Senator Jon Tester appears on the Democratic ballot alongside Michael Hummert, a U.S. Navy Veteran from Helena. Tester is seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate.
There are three candidates running on the Republican ticket for U.S. Senate with the most recognizable name being Bozeman businessman and former Navy Seal Tim Sheehy.
Sheehy, a Minnesota native moved to Montana in 2014 and founded the aerial firefighting company Bridger Aerospace.
The other candidates are Brad Johnson who previously served as Montana Secretary of State and Montana Public Service Commission chairman.
Charles Walking Child is a Helena environmental contractor.
Montana Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate is Sid Daud who is a Kalispell city councilman. He’ll advance to the General Election since he’s running unopposed in the Montana Primary.
There are two Green party candidates for U.S. Senate, Robert Barb and Michael Downey. Downey is a drought program coordinator at the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Helena. Barb is a Billings resident. Not much is known about Barb’s background.
The winner tonight will advance to the general in November.
U.S. House of Representatives
Montana has two U.S. House of Representatives openings on the June 4 ballot. The first district covers the western part of Montana, including Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell and Butte. This is a two-year term.
The Eastern District includes Billings, Great Falls, Helena, Havre and Miles City. Republican Matt Rosendale is not seeking re-election for another two-year term.
Incumbent Ryan Zinke won the 2022 General Election for the Western District by just about 3 percentage points over Democratic nominee Monica Tranel, who’s running uncontested for the nomination in 2024.
Zinke’s Republican opponent is Mary Todd, a Kalispell business owner and a pastor at Purpose Church Kalispell.
Tranel is a Missoula-based attorney who specializes in utility and energy issues. This is the second time she’s run to represent Montana U.S. House District 1.
Two Libertarian candidates are running for U.S. House District 1. They are Dennis Hayes, a Townsend resident and Ernie Noble a Bozeman resident.
The Eastern House District features 12 candidates who are vying to replace Matt Rosendale who decided not to run for office after a lot of back and forth. District 2 includes Billings, Great Falls, Helena, Havre and Miles City. This is also a two-year term.
There are eight total candidates on the Republican side with a lot of eyes on former U.S. Congressman Denny Rehberg of Billings, current state auditor Troy Downing and state superintendent Elsie Artnzen.
There are four Democratic candidates running in the June 4 election. They are rancher and business owner Steve Held of Broadus, Montana Pride President Kevin Hamm, along with Ming Cabrera and John Driscoll.
Montana Attorney General
Incumbent Republican Austin Knudsen seeking a second term as the state’s top law enforcement officer and prosecutor. He’s opposed by Logan Olson who is the Daniels County attorney.
The winner will face Democrat Ben Alke in November.
Montana Office of Public Instruction Superintendent
Both of the Republican candidates for the Office of Public Instruction are current school district superintendents. Susie Hedalen in Townsend and Sharyl Allen the superintendent-principal for Harrison public schools.
Allen recently made headlines when she was charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly obstructing a criminal investigation in her district.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Shannon O’Brien in the general election.
Missoula Fire Department Levy
Citing public safety concerns, the Missoula City Council placed a fire levy on this ballot. If passed, it would generate $7 million a year for the Missoula Fire Department.
It would fund a new station on the west side, 20 additional firefighters, bring the department’s response times within national standards and give permanent funding to the Mobile Support Team.
The Mobile Support Team responds to nonviolent cases involving mental health support.
If passed, the levy would cost around $46 annually for every $100,000 in a home’s assessed value. A median assessed home of around $413,000 would pay $189 each year.
