Summary
The 1996 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Governor of Montana Marc Racicot, who was first elected in 1992, ran for re-election. After winning the Republican primary against a conservative activist, he moved on to the general election, where he was set to face Chet Blaylock, a former State Senator and the Democratic nominee. However, on October 23, 1996, Blaylock died of a heart attack, and the Montana Democratic Party selected his running mate, State Senator Judy Jacobson, to replace him, and she therefore became both the gubernatorial nominee and the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.[2] Ultimately, Racicot defeated Jacobson in a landslide to win re-election to his second and final term as governor. As of 2023, this is the last time that the winning gubernatorial nominee carried all counties in Montana. This election was the only time since 1956 that an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected or won re-election. As of 2024, this is the last time that an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected or won re-election.
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| Turnout | 70.60% 8.30[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Racicot: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- Chet Blaylock, former State Senator
- Bob Kelleher, perennial candidate
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chet Blaylock | 55,120 | 74.61 | |
| Democratic | Bob Kelleher | 18,761 | 25.39 | |
| Total votes | 73,881 | 100.00 | ||
Note: Following Blaylock's death, Judy Jacobson, his running mate, was selected to replace him on the ballot as the Democratic nominee.[2]
Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Marc Racicot, incumbent Governor of Montana
- Rob Natelson, conservative activist and constitutional law professor
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Marc Racicot (incumbent) | 92,644 | 76.37 | |
| Republican | Rob Natelson | 28,672 | 23.63 | |
| Total votes | 121,316 | 100.00 | ||
General election edit
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Marc Racicot (incumbent) | 320,768 | 79.17% | +27.82% | |
| Democratic | Judy Jacobson | 84,407 | 20.83% | -27.82% | |
| Majority | 236,361 | 58.34% | +55.64% | ||
| Turnout | 405,175 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References edit
- ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dems Select Jacobson To Run For Governor". The Spokesman-Review. October 29, 1996. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "1996 Statewide Primary Canvass - June 4, 2000" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "1996 Statewide General Canvass - November 5, 1996" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.