1990 United States Senate election in Montana

1990 United States Senate election in Montana

←  1984 November 6, 1990 1996  →

Nominee Max Baucus Allen Kolstad Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 217,563 93,836 Percentage 68.1% 29.4%

County results Congressional district results Baucus:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Kolstad:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election Max Baucus Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Max Baucus Democratic

The 1990 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent United States Senator Max Baucus, who was first elected in 1978 and was re-elected in 1984, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Allen Kolstad, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the Republican nominee. Baucus ultimately ended up defeating Kolstad in a landslide, winning his third term with ease.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Max Baucus, incumbent United States Senator
• John Driscoll, former Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives
• "Curly" Thornton

Results

Democratic Party primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Max Baucus (incumbent)	80,622	82.60%
	Democratic	John Driscoll	12,616	12.93%
	Democratic	"Curly" Thornton	4,367	4.47%
Total votes			97,605	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Allen Kolstad, Lieutenant Governor of Montana
• Bruce Vorhauer, businessman
• Bill Farrell
• John Domenech

Results

Republican Primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Allen Kolstad	38,097	43.59%
	Republican	Bruce Vorhauer	30,837	35.28%
	Republican	Bill Farrell	11,820	13.52%
	Republican	John Domenech	6,648	7.61%
Total votes			87,402	100.00%

General election

Results

United States Senate election in Montana, 1990 ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Max Baucus (incumbent)	217,563	68.13%	+11.24%
	Republican	Allen Kolstad	93,836	29.38%	−11.31%
	Libertarian	Westley F. Deitchler	7,937	2.49%	+0.07%
Majority			123,727	38.75%	+22.55%
Turnout			319,336
	Democratic hold		Swing

By congressional district

Baucus won both congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican. ^[3]

District	Baucus	Kolstad	Representative
1st	66%	31%	Pat Williams
2nd	71%	27%	Ron Marlenee

See also

• 1990 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 5, 1990" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
2. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
3. "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the General Election held in the State of Montana" (PDF). sosmt.gov. November 6, 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.