2000 Montana gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2000 United States gubernatorial elections.

2000 Montana gubernatorial election

←  1996 November 7, 2000 2004  →
Turnout	59.90%10.70 [1]
Nominee Judy Martz Mark O'Keefe Party Republican Democratic Running mate Karl Ohs Carol Williams Popular vote 209,135 193,131 Percentage 50.98% 47.08%
County results Martz:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% O'Keefe:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Governor before election Marc Racicot Republican Elected Governor Judy Martz Republican

The 2000 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Governor of Montana Marc Racicot, who was first elected in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Judy Martz, the lieutenant governor of Montana under Racicot for four years, won the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where she faced Mark O'Keefe, the Montana state auditor and Democratic nominee. Despite the fact that George W. Bush, the Republican nominee for president in 2000, won the state in a landslide, the race between Martz and O'Keefe was close. However, Martz managed to narrowly defeat him to win her first and only term as governor. This was the last time that a Republican was elected governor of Montana until 2020, when Greg Gianforte was elected. ^[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Mike Cooney, secretary of state of Montana
• Joseph Mazurek, attorney general of Montana
• Mark O'Keefe, Montana state auditor

Results

Democratic Party primary results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark O'Keefe	46,294	48.04%
	Democratic	Joseph Mazurek	34,385	35.69%
	Democratic	Mike Cooney	15,677	16.27%
Total votes			96,356	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Judy Martz, lieutenant governor of Montana
• Rob Natelson, conservative activist and constitutional law professor

Results

Republican Primary results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Judy Martz	64,278	56.88%
	Republican	Rob Natelson	48,738	43.12%
Total votes			113,016	100.00%

General election

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 15, 2000

Results

Montana gubernatorial election, 2000 ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Judy Martz	209,135	50.98%	−28.18%
	Democratic	Mark O'Keefe	193,131	47.08%	+26.25%
	Libertarian	Stan Jones	7,926	1.94%	N/A
Majority			16,004	3.90%	−54.43%
Turnout			410,192	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Silver Bow (largest city: Butte)
• Deer Lodge (largest city: Anaconda)
• Missoula (largest city: Missoula)
• Cascade (largest city: Great Falls)
• Lewis and Clark (largest city: Helena)
• Rosebud (largest city: Colstrip)
• Big Horn (largest city: Hardin)
• Glacier (largest city: Cut Bank)
• Roosevelt (largest city: Wolf Point)
• Hill (largest city: Havre)
• Blaine (largest city: Chinooko)

References

1. "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
2. "GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte wins Montana governor's race |". The Hill . Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
3. "2000 Statewide Primary Canvass - June 6, 2000" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
4. "2000 Statewide General Canvass – November 7, 2000" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2014.