Republican Governor Greg Gianforte won the Montana governor race in 2024, defeating Democrat Ryan Busse by roughly 20 percentage points in a contest shaped by rising property taxes, abortion rights, and the state’s broader Republican lean.
The Final Vote
On November 5, 2024, Gianforte took 58.9 percent of the vote (354,569 ballots) to Busse’s 38.6 percent (232,644). Libertarian Kaiser Leib received 2.5 percent (15,191). Turnout totaled 602,404 votes, and the state certified the results.1The New York Times. Montana Governor Election Results The 20-point margin made Gianforte the first Republican governor to win a second term in Montana since 1996.2Office of the Governor of Montana. About Governor Gianforte
The Candidates
Gianforte, a Bozeman businessman who first won the governorship in 2020 after serving as Montana’s at-large U.S. House representative, ran again with Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras, a longtime Great Falls attorney.3Flathead Beacon. Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte Wins a Second Term Over Challenger Ryan Busse4Daily Montanan. Gianforte, Juras Announce Montana Re-Election Bids for 2024 He campaigned on his record of tax cuts, a balanced budget, and job creation.
Busse brought an unusual profile. He spent 25 years as a senior executive at the firearms manufacturer Kimber America before resigning in 2020, and later wrote Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America.5The New York Times. Gunfight, Ryan Busse6NPR. Gunfight Author Ryan Busse A former Republican, he positioned himself as a gun-owning, hunting Democrat who could pull moderate Republicans and independents.7Democracy Docket. Montana Gubernatorial Candidate Ryan Busse Switched Parties to Do What Is Best for the Country His running mate was Raph Graybill, a constitutional attorney who had served as chief legal counsel to former Governor Steve Bullock and had litigated against the state’s abortion restrictions on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Montana.8Montana Free Press. Busse Taps Graybill as Running Mate for Montana Governors Office Campaign
What the Race Was About
Property Taxes
Property taxes dominated the campaign. Montana homeowners had seen a median 21 percent increase between 2022 and 2023, and critics said the burden had shifted from large corporations onto residents.9New Lines Magazine. Montana Gubernatorial Hopeful, Gun Owners, Abortion Rights Gianforte proposed a homestead exemption that would lower taxes on primary residences while shifting more of the burden onto second homes, and blamed local government budgets for driving up rates.10Montana Free Press. Gianforte Celebrates Victory in Campaign for Second Term Busse proposed cutting residential rates by one-third and raising taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations.11Vote Guide. 2024 Montana Governor Voters Guide
Abortion
Gianforte had signed a package of abortion restrictions during the 2023 legislative session, including a ban on the most common abortion procedure after approximately 15 weeks of pregnancy, limits on Medicaid coverage, mandatory ultrasound requirements, and stricter clinic regulations. Several of those laws were blocked in court pending litigation, as they conflicted with the Montana Supreme Court’s precedent recognizing abortion access under the state Constitution’s right to privacy.12Montana Free Press. Montana Governor Signs 15-Week Abortion Ban Busse called himself an “unapologetic defender” of reproductive choice and put the issue at the center of his campaign.8Montana Free Press. Busse Taps Graybill as Running Mate for Montana Governors Office Campaign
Guns, Public Lands, and Past Controversies
Busse backed background checks and red-flag laws while opposing an assault weapons ban, a position he argued fit a gun-friendly state.11Vote Guide. 2024 Montana Governor Voters Guide Public land access was another flashpoint; Gianforte had faced criticism over a 2009 lawsuit in which he tried to close public access to property he purchased along the East Gallatin River.9New Lines Magazine. Montana Gubernatorial Hopeful, Gun Owners, Abortion Rights Also in the background were Gianforte’s 2017 guilty plea to a misdemeanor assault charge for body-slamming a reporter on the eve of a special congressional election, and a 2000 citation for illegally killing an elk in Park County, for which he paid a $70 fine.13Helena Independent Record. Congressional Candidate Gianforte Says He Self-Reported Elk He Illegally Shot in 2000
A Split-Ticket Night on Abortion
The most striking result of the night sat alongside the governor’s race. Constitutional Initiative 128, which enshrined the right to an abortion through fetal viability (approximately 24 weeks) in the state constitution, passed with 57.8 percent of the vote, roughly 345,000 “yes” votes to 252,300 “no” votes.14The Washington Post. Montana Constitutional Amendment 128 Abortion A significant number of voters backed both Gianforte and the abortion rights amendment on the same ballot, a gap between Montana’s Republican lean in candidate races and its more moderate stance on reproductive rights. Busse’s pitch, that he could peel moderate Republicans away from an incumbent whose social policies were too extreme, fell short, as Republican candidates dominated races up and down the ballot.15Montana Free Press. Montana’s Abortion Rights Measure Surges to Victory
What Gianforte Has Done With the Second Term
Gianforte moved quickly on the issue that defined the race. During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 542 and House Bill 231, creating a graduated property tax system with a formal homestead exemption. Primary residences and qualifying long-term rentals receive lower rates, while properties that don’t meet the homestead criteria face a significantly higher default rate starting with 2026 tax bills. Revenue department projections estimated that owner-occupied homes would see an average 18 percent tax decrease, while non-qualifying homes could see increases of 68 percent.16Montana Free Press. More Questions and Answers About Montana’s New Second Home Tax
In April 2025, Gianforte also signed a $278-million-a-year income tax cut, described by the administration as the largest in state history, along with business equipment tax reductions and $400 property tax rebates for homeowners.17Montana Free Press. Capitol Tracker 2025 – Governor
When Montana Votes for Governor Again
Montana holds its gubernatorial elections in presidential election years, so the next contest is in 2028.18MultiState. Montana Governor Elections Gianforte will be term-limited then. Under Montana’s constitutional term limits, established by the 1992 initiative CI-64, public officials cannot serve more than eight years in any 16-year period, and the secretary of state’s office confirms Gianforte will reach that limit in 2028.19Montana Secretary of State. Term Limits No candidates for the 2028 race have been publicly identified as of mid-2026.