Thomas Lee Judge was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Montana from 1973 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Montana from 1969 to 1973.
The 1918 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 5, 1918. Incumbent United States Senator Thomas J. Walsh, who was first elected to the Senate in 1912, ran for re-election. He won the Democratic primary uncontested, and was opposed in the general election by Oscar M. Lanstrum, a former State Representative and the Republican nominee, and Jeannette Rankin, one of two United States representatives from Montana's at-large congressional district and the nominee of the National Party. Walsh narrowly won his second term in the Senate.
The 1916 United States presidential election in Montana took place on November 7, 1916 as a part of the 1916 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1960 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 8, 1960. Incumbent United States Senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936, 1942, and 1948, and 1954, declined to seek re-election, creating an open seat. United States Congressman Lee Metcalf won out in a crowded Democratic primary and faced off against former United States Congressman Orvin B. Fjare, who won in a similarly-crowded Republican primary. Following a close general election, Metcalf narrowly defeated Fjare to win his first term in the Senate.
The 1988 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Governor of Montana Ted Schwinden, who was first elected in 1980 and was re-elected in 1984, declined to seek re-election to a third term, creating an open seat. Stan Stephens, the former president of the Montana Senate, won a close Republican primary, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Thomas Lee Judge, Schwinden's predecessor as governor and the Democratic nominee. Though the general election was hotly contested, Stephens ultimately defeated Judge, becoming the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in Montana since 1964.
The 1984 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Governor of Montana Ted Schwinden, who was first elected in 1980, ran for re-election. Schwinden won the Democratic primary against a perennial candidate, and moved on to the general election, where he faced Pat M. Goodover, a State Senator and the Republican nominee. Although then-President Ronald Reagan won the state in a landslide that year in the presidential election, Schwinden defeated Goodover with over 70% of the vote to win his second and final term as governor. This was the last time that Democrats won a gubernational election in Montana until 2004.
The 1980 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Governor of Montana Thomas Lee Judge, who was first elected in 1972 and was re-elected in 1976, ran for re-election. He faced a stiff challenge in the Democratic primary from his lieutenant governor, Ted Schwinden, and he ultimately lost renomination. Schwinden, advancing to the general election, faced Jack Ramirez, the Minority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives and the Republican nominee. Although Ronald Reagan, the Republican presidential nominee, won the state in a landslide that year, Schwinden comfortably defeated Ramirez to win his first of two terms as governor.
The 1976 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Governor of Montana Thomas Lee Judge, who was first elected in 1972, ran for re-election. He won the Democratic primary unopposed, and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Bob Woodahl, the Attorney General of Montana and the Republican nominee. Ultimately, Judge defeated Woodahl by a landslide to win his second and final term as governor.
The 1968 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Governor of Montana Tim Babcock, who became Governor upon the death of previous Governor Donald Grant Nutter and was elected in 1964, ran for re-election. He faced serious competition in the Republican primary from his Lieutenant Governor, but managed to comfortably win renomination. Advancing to the general election, Babcock faced Forrest H. Anderson, the Attorney General of Montana and the Democratic nominee, and independent candidate Wayne Montgomery of the New Reform Party. Ultimately, Anderson managed to defeat Babcock by a solid margin, winning his first and only term as governor. As of 2023, this is the last time an incumbent Governor of Montana lost re-election.
The 1960 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1960. Incumbent Governor of Montana J. Hugo Aronson, who was first elected governor in 1952 and was re-elected in 1956, declined to run for re-election. Donald Grant Nutter, a former state senator, narrowly won the Republican primary, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Paul Cannon, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the Democratic nominee. Nutter defeated Cannon by a fairly wide margin, winning his one and only term as governor, as he would die just a year into his term.
The 1956 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1956. Incumbent governor of Montana J. Hugo Aronson, who was first elected Governor in 1952, ran for re-election. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced Arnold Olsen, the Attorney General of Montana and the Democratic nominee. Despite the fact that then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower won the state in a landslide that year in the presidential election, Aronson only narrowly defeated Arnold to win his second and final term as governor.
The 1948 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1948. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam C. Ford, who was first elected Governor in 1940 and was re-elected in 1944, ran for re-election. He won the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced John W. Bonner, the former Attorney General of Montana and the Democratic nominee. Ultimately, Bonner defeated Ford handily in his bid for re-election, winning his first and only term as governor.
The 1944 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1944. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam C. Ford, who was first elected Governor in 1940, ran for re-election. He won the Republican primary and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Leif Erickson, a former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Democratic nominee. Although then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford defeated Erickson by a wide margin to win his second and final term as governor. This election is the first time that an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected or won re-election.
The 1940 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Governor of Montana Roy E. Ayers, who was first elected governor in 1936, ran for re-election. He narrowly won the Democratic primary by just over a thousand votes to win renomination, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Sam C. Ford, a former Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Republican nominee. Ultimately, in spite of the fact that then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford narrowly defeated Ayers to win his first of two terms as governor.
The 1936 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Governor of Montana Elmer Holt, who became governor in 1935 upon the death of Frank Henry Cooney, ran for re-election. He was challenged in the Democratic primary by a number of challengers, and was narrowly defeated for renomination by United States Congressman Roy E. Ayers of Montana's 2nd congressional district. Ayers advanced to the general election, where he faced Frank A. Hazelbaker, the former Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the Republican nominee. Following a close election, Ayers narrowly defeated Hazelbaker to win what would be his first and only term as governor.
The 1932 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1932. Incumbent Governor of Montana John E. Erickson, who was first elected governor in 1924 and was re-elected in 1928, ran for re-election. He won the Democratic primary with a plurality and advanced to the general election, where he faced Frank A. Hazelbaker, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana. Despite the fact that Franklin D. Roosevelt carried the state in a landslide in the presidential election that year, Erickson only narrowly defeated Hazelbaker to win re-election to his third and final term as governor, though he would later resign just a few months into his term to appoint himself to the United States Senate.
The 1928 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1928. Incumbent Governor of Montana John E. Erickson, who was first elected governor in 1924, ran for re-election. Erickson only narrowly won the Democratic primary against future Governor Roy E. Ayers, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by U.S. Attorney Wellington D. Rankin, the former Attorney General of Montana. Although Herbert Hoover carried the state in a landslide in the presidential election that year, Erickson won re-election to his second term as governor in a landslide over Rankin.
The 1924 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1924. Incumbent Governor of Montana Joseph M. Dixon, who was first elected governor in 1920, ran for re-election. Dixon won a competitive Republican primary, and moved on to the general election, where he faced John E. Erickson, a former district court judge and the Democratic nominee; and Frank J. Edwards, the 1916 Republican nominee for governor and the Farmer–Labor Party nominee. Ultimately, Erickson managed to defeat Dixon in his bid for re-election, winning what would be the first of three terms as governor.
The 1920 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1920. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam V. Stewart, who was first elected Governor in 1912 and 1916, declined to run for re-election. To replace him, former United States Senator Joseph M. Dixon won the Republican primary, which was closely contested. In the general election, he faced Burton K. Wheeler, the former United States Attorney for the District of Montana and the Democratic nominee. Ultimately, Dixon defeated Wheeler by a wide margin to win his first and only term as governor.
The 1916 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam V. Stewart, who was first elected governor in 1912, ran for re-election. After comfortably winning the Democratic primary, he advanced to the general election, where he faced Frank J. Edwards, the former Mayor of Helena, who narrowly emerged victorious in a close Republican primary. Benefitting from then-President Woodrow Wilson's landslide victory in Montana in the presidential election that year, Stewart narrowly won re-election to his second and final term as governor.
1.80 [1] 
