Montana Attorney General election, 2016
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← 2012
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June 7, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Tim Fox (R) |
Tim Fox (R) |
Governor • Lt. Governor Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, Auditor • Superintendent • Montana Public Service Commission, districts 2, 3 & 4 |
March 14, 2016 |
May 31, 2016 |
June 6, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
January 2, 2017 |
Montana held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Republican Tim Fox won re-election.
Overview
Montana has had a divided government since 2005, which was preceded by a nine-year Republican trifecta. The office of the attorney general of Montana was largely controlled by Democrats from the 1930s until the 2012 election of Republican Attorney General Tim Fox.
The attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, chief law enforcement officer and director of the Montana Department of Justice. Former Democratic state Sen. Larry Jent was the sole candidate to file to challenge Fox in 2016. Both candidates were unopposed for their parties' nominations and competed in the November 8 general election.
This race was rated Safe Republican. Fox won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
Tim Fox (R)
Incumbent attorney general since 2013
Larry Jent (D)
State senator, 2007-2015
Results
General election
Incumbent Tim Fox defeated Larry Jent in the Montana attorney general election.
| Montana Attorney General, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tim Fox Incumbent |
67.67% | 332,766 | |
| Democratic | Larry Jent | 32.33% | 158,970 | |
| Total Votes | 491,736 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Republican primary contest
Tim Fox ran unopposed in the Montana Republican primary for attorney general.
| Montana Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tim Fox (unopposed) |
100.00% | 140,173 |
| Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting) | 140,173 | |
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||
Democratic primary contest
Larry Jent ran unopposed in the Montana Democratic primary for attorney general.
| Montana Democratic primary for attorney general, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Larry Jent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 102,171 |
| Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting) | 102,171 | |
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Montana utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2][3]
Montana's primary elections took place on June 7, 2016.
Incumbent Tim Fox (R)
Attorney General Tim Fox (R) was elected to office in 2012. Former A.G. Steve Bullock (D) had declined to seek re-election in favor of a successful bid for the governorship. Fox defeated rival Democrat Pam Bucy by a 7 percent margin of victory the same year.
Prior to his tenure as attorney general, Fox was a private practice attorney. He also served gubernatorial appointments to the Montana Historical Society and Montana State Banking Board.
Party control in Montana
Going into the 2016 election, Montana had a divided government since 2005, which was preceded by a nine-year Republican trifecta. Republicans controlled the state legislature, while a Democrat held the governorship. In recent years, Republican candidates had consistently managed to win statewide offices. Most recently, in 2014, Steve Daines (R) defeated Kim Gillan (D) by a 10-point margin in the open U.S. Senate election, and Ryan Zinke (R) defeated John Lewis (D) by a 15-point margin in the open race for Montana's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[4]
The state had gone to Republican presidential contenders for the last ten presidential elections with the exception of 1992, when Montana's electoral votes went to Bill Clinton.[5] However, Montana tends to elect both Democratic and Republican candidates to the U.S. Congress. Control of the state's executive offices was nearly equally distributed among the two parties.
The office of the attorney general of Montana was largely controlled by Democrats from the 1930s until the 2012 election of Republican Attorney General Tim Fox. Republicans experienced brief periods of control from 1969 to 1977, and 1989 to 1993.
Campaigns
Race tracking
| Race Rankings - Attorney General of Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race Tracker | Race Rating | |
| Governing | Safe Republican | |
| Overall call | Safe Republican | |
| Note: Ratings are based on projections found in Governing, Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, and The Cook Political Report where available. They were updated periodically throughout the election season. | ||
Campaign finance
| Tim Fox Primary Election Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 3/28/2016 - 4/26/2016 | 5/2/2016 | $93,681.35 | $16,865.31 | $(2,214.20) | $108,332.46 | ||||
| 4/27/2016 - 5/18/2016 | 5/23/2016 | $108,332.46 | $7,183.39 | $(4,199.98) | $111,315.87 | ||||
| 5/19/2016 - 5/27/2016 | 5/31/2016 | $111,315.87 | $2,220 | $(792.6) | $112,743.27 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $26,268.7 | $(7,206.78) | ||||||||
| Tim Fox General Election Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 3/28/2016 - 4/26/2016 | 5/2/2016 | $48,166,876.05 | $1,710 | $(0) | $49,876.05 | ||||
| 4/27/2016 - 5/18/2016 | 5/23/2016 | $49,876.05 | $1,095 | $(0) | $50,971.05 | ||||
| 5/19/2016 - 5/27/2016 | 5/31/2016 | $50,971.05 | $290 | $(0) | $51,261.05 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,095 | $(0) | ||||||||
| Larry Jent Primary Election Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 3/28/2016 - 4/26/2016 | 5/1/2016 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| 4/27/2016 - 5/18/2016 | 5/23/2016 | $0 | $0 | $(0) | $0 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $0 | $(0) | ||||||||
| Larry Jent General Election Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 3/28/2016 - 4/26/2016 | 5/1/2016 | $670.23 | $5,880 | $(1,434.74) | $5,115.49 | ||||
| 4/27/2016 - 5/18/2016 | 5/23/2016 | $5,115.49 | $3,895 | $(1,227.62) | $7,782.87 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $9,775 | $(2,662.36) | ||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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Republicans
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About the office
The attorney general of Montana is an elected constitutional position in the executive branch of the Montana state government. The attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, chief law enforcement officer and director of the Montana Department of Justice. The attorney general also serves as a member of the Montana Land Board and the Board of Examiners. The attorney general has the authority to provide legal opinions to the state legislature, state officers, city and county attorneys, among others. The attorney general also has supervisory authority over the state's 56 county attorneys and, at the request of local, state or federal law enforcement agencies, can investigate criminal violations of law.
| Helpful Facts About U.S. State Attorneys General |
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Incumbent
The incumbent was Republican Tim Fox. He was elected in 2012, and re-elected in 2016.[7]
Authority
The Montana Constitution addresses the office of attorney general in Article VI, the Executive Department.
Under Article VI, Section I:
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The executive branch includes a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general... |
Constitutional provisions
The Montana Constitution addresses the duties of the attorney general in Article VI, Section 4.
Under Article VI, Section 4(4):
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The attorney general is the legal officer of the state and shall have the duties and powers provided by law. |
Qualifications
A candidate for attorney general must be:
- at least 25 years of age or older at the time of election
- a citizen of the United States
- have resided within the state at least two years at his election
- be an attorney in good standing admitted to practice in Montana and have been actively practicing for at least five years
Past elections
2012
- See also: Montana attorney general election, 2012
| Attorney General of Montana, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tim Fox |
53.7% | 252,916 | |
| Democratic | Pam Bucy | 46.3% | 218,228 | |
| Total Votes | 471,144 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
2008
Bullock defeated Republican Tim Fox to become Montana Attorney General in 2008.
| Montana Attorney General, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Steve Bullock |
52.6% | 245,669 | |
| Republican | Tim Fox | 47.4% | 220,992 | |
| Total Votes | 466,661 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
2004
McGrath (D) ran unopposed for re-election in 2004.
| Montana Attorney General, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mike McGrath Incumbent |
100% | 344,548 | |
| Total Votes | 344,548 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
2000
| Montana Attorney General, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mike McGrath |
53.2% | 211,726 | |
| Republican | Jim Rice | 46.8% | 186,299 | |
| Total Votes | 398,025 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Montana state attorney general election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,032,073 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 145,546 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 89.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 6.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,169 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Montana
Montana voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Montana, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[8]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Montana had two Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.10 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Montana
- United States congressional delegations from Montana
- Public policy in Montana
- Endorsers in Montana
- Montana fact checks
- More...
See also
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Montana government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2014 Election center," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ 270 to win, "Montana," accessed May 30, 2016
- ↑ The Book of States, "Table 4.20: Qualifications for Office," last updated March 2012
- ↑ Montana Department of Justice, "Attorney General Tim Fox," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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