2012 United States House of Representatives election in Montana

The 2012 congressional election in Montana was held on November 6, 2012, to determine who would represent the state of Montana in the United States House of Representatives. At the time, Montana had one seat in the House. Incumbent Denny Rehberg did not run for reelection, choosing instead to run for the seat in the U.S. Senate. A primary election was held on June 5, 2012. Republican businessman Steve Daines won the open seat.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Daines, businessman and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2008

Eliminated in primary

• Eric Brosten, author and engineer
• Vincent Melkus, student at Colorado Mesa University and former Marine

Withdrawn

• John Abarr, white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan organizer.

Hypothetical polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kim Gillan, state senator from Billings

Eliminated in primary

• Sam Rankin, real estate salesman and candidate for this seat in 2010
• Diane Smith, businesswoman
• Dave Strohmaier, Missoula city council member
• Rob Stutz, attorney
• Jason Ward, farmer and construction manager for the Crow Nation
• Franke Wilmer, state representative from Bozeman

Declined

• Melinda Gopher, writer and candidate for this seat in 2010
• Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana

Polling

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• David Kaiser

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Missoula (Largest city: Missoula)
• Glacier (largest city: Cut Bank)
• Roosevelt (largest city: Wolf Point)
• Hill (largest city: Havre)
• Blaine (largest city: Chinooko)

References

External links

• Elections at the Montana Secretary of State
• United States House of Representatives elections in Montana, 2012 at Ballotpedia
• Montana U.S. House at OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Montana at OpenSecrets
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Campaign websites

• Steve Daines campaign website
• Kim Gillan campaign website
• David Kaiser campaign website