2020 Montana gubernatorial election
The 2020 Montana gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2020, to elect the next Governor of Montana, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Bullock, who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection to a third consecutive term, is instead seeking Montana's Class II Senate seat after an short campaign for President of the United States. Bullock is the only incumbent governor in the United States who is term-limited in 2020.
Bullock's lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, is the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee is Montana at-large congressman Greg Gianforte, who became a controversial figure for body slamming a reporter the day of a 2017 special election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Mike Cooney, Lieutenant Governor of Montana and former Secretary of State of Montana
- * Running mate: Casey Schreiner, Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives
Eliminated in primary
- Whitney Williams, businesswoman and daughter of former U.S. Representative Pat Williams
- * Running mate: Buzz Mattelin, farmer and president of the National Barley Growers Association
Withdrawn
- Reilly Neill, former state representative
- Casey Schreiner, Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives
Declined
- Ryan Busse, businessman
- Wilmot Collins, Mayor of Helena and former 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate
- John Heenan, attorney and candidate for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2018
- Michael Punke, writer and former U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization
- Brian Schweitzer, former Governor of Montana
- Kathleen Williams, former state representative and nominee for Montana's at-large congressional district in 2018
Endorsements
Polling
Polls with a sample size of <100 have their sample size entries marked in red to indicate a lack of reliability.| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mike Cooney | Reilly Neill | Casey Schreiner | Whitney Williams | Other / Undecided |
| October 7–16, 2019 | 40 | – | 19% | 2% | 6% | 11% | 62% |
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Greg Gianforte, incumbent U.S. Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district and nominee for Governor of Montana in 2016
Eliminated in primary
- Tim Fox, Attorney General of Montana
- Albert Olszewski, state senator
Withdrawn
- Corey Stapleton, Secretary of State of Montana, candidate for Governor of Montana in 2012 and candidate for the U.S. House in 2014
- Gary Perry, former state senator
- Pete Ziehli
Declined
- Matt Rosendale, Montana State Auditor and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018
- Ryan Zinke, former United States Secretary of Interior and former U.S. Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district
Endorsements
Polling
Polls with a sample size of <100 have their sample size entries marked in red to indicate a lack of reliability.| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Fox | Greg Gianforte | Albert Olszewski | Other / Undecided |
| October 7–16, 2019 | 99 | – | 25% | 33% | 9% | 32% | |
| August 28–30, 2019 | 433 | ± 4.7% | 29% | 56% | 15% | – | |
| July 7–10, 2019 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 17% | 56% | 5% | 23% |
Results
Other candidates
Libertarian Party
Nominee
- Lyman Bishop, founder and CEO of Hoplite Armor
- *Running mate: John Nesper
Withdrawn
- Ron Vandevender, nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016 and nominee for governor in 2012
Green Party
Nominee
- Robert Barb
- *Running mate: Joshua Thomas
Results
General election
Predictions
Endorsements
Polling
University of Montana polls did not account for the withdrawals of Democratic and Republican candidates after they lost their primaries.;with Mike Cooney, Tim Fox, Greg Gianforte, Albert Olszewski, Ron Vandevender and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates | Ron Vandevender |
| February 12–22, 2020 | 498 | ± 4.4% | 35.1% | 61.7% | 1.3% |
;with Mike Cooney, Tim Fox, Greg Gianforte, Reilly Neill, Albert Olszewski, Gary Perry, Casey Schreiner and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates |
| September 26 – October 3, 2019 | 303 | ± 5.6% | 40% | 60.1% |
;with Tim Fox, Matt Rosendale, Corey Stapleton, Kathleen Williams and Whitney Williams
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates | Other / Undecided |
| February 21 – March 1, 2019 | 293 | ± 5.7% | 32.4% | 48.4% | 19.2% |