2018 Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court election

2018 Montana Supreme Court Clerk election

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Nominee Bowen Greenwood Rex Renk Roger Roots Party Republican Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 247,130 204,411 28,760 Percentage 51.5% 42.6% 6.0%

County results Greenwood:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Renk:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court before election Ed Smith Democratic Elected Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court Bowen Greenwood Republican

The 2018 Montana Supreme Court Clerk election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court. The election was part of the 2018 Montana elections.

Incumbent Democratic Clerk Ed Smith opted not to run for re-election. Republican Bowen Greenwood and Democrat Rex Renk won their respective primaries uncontested. ^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Rex Renk, deputy clerk of the Montana Supreme Court ^[2]

Declined

• Ed Smith, incumbent ^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rex Renk	95,361	100.0
Total votes			95,361	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Bowen Greenwood, communications director for the Montana Public Service Commission ^[2]

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bowen Greenwood	124,567	100.0
Total votes			124,567	100.0

General election

Campaign

The campaign for the office was relatively low-profile compared to those for United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. ^[3] Democratic nominee Rex Renk ran on his experience as deputy clerk, and argued that the office should be non-partisan, as the role is non-political. ^[3] Republican nominee Bowen Greenwood agreed that the office's work is non-partisan but said that Montanans may want to elect someone who shares their values in non-partisan offices as well. ^[3] Libertarian nominee Roger Roots said that he would work to "maximize the right of the individual" if elected. ^[3]

Renk's campaign mascot was a Tyrannosaurus rex. ^[4]

Endorsements

Rex Renk (D)

Statewide officials

• Ed Smith, incumbent Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court ^[5]

Newspapers and other media

• The Missoulian ^[2]

Bowen Greenwood (R)

State legislators

• Russell Fagg, district judge in Yellowstone County, Montana (1995–2017) and state representative from the 89th district (1991–1995) ^[3]

Results

2018 Montana Supreme Court Clerk election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bowen Greenwood	247,130	51.45	+51.45%
	Democratic	Rex Renk	204,411	42.56	−14.31%
	Libertarian	Roger Roots	28,760	5.99	−37.14%
Total votes			480,301	100.0	N/A
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

1. "Certified Primary Results" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State.
2. "Rex Renk is a sure bet for clerk of court". Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
3. "MT Supreme Court clerk electoral race doesn't get much attention". KXLH News Helena. October 8, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
4. Drake, Phil (November 2, 2018). "Former Great Falls resident seeks a top post in Idaho". Great Falls Tribune . Retrieved January 16, 2023.
5. "Incumbent Supreme Court clerk endorses Renk". Billings Gazette . October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
6. "2018 Certified General Election Results" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State.