2024 Montana State Auditor election
November 5, 2024
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Brown: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Repke: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana |
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The 2024 Montana State Auditor election took place on November 5, 2024, to elect the next state auditor of Montana. Incumbent Republican auditor Troy Downing did not seeking re-election, instead opting to run for U.S. House.[1] Primary elections took place on June 4, 2024.[2]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- James Brown, president of the Montana Public Service Commission[3]
Eliminated in primary
- John Jay Willoughby, insurance agent[4]
Disqualified
- Keith Brownfield[5]
- Steve Gunderson, state representative[5]
Declined
- Troy Downing, incumbent state auditor (ran for U.S. House)[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Brown | 114,508 | 69.55% | |
| Republican | John Jay Willoughby | 50,131 | 30.45% | |
| Total votes | 164,639 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Repke, retired financial executive[4]
Withdrew
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Repke | 92,296 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 92,296 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
James Brown (R) |
John Repke (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Opinion Strategies (R)[A] | September 29 - October 1, 2024 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.34% | 49% | 33% | 2%[b] | 16% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Brown | 358,642 | 61.42% | +6.10 | |
| Democratic | John Repke | 225,251 | 38.58% | –0.81 | |
| Total votes | 583,893 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County[9] | James Brown Republican |
John Repke Democratic |
Margin | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Beaverhead | 4,233 | 75.37% | 1,383 | 24.63% | 2,850 | 50.75% | 5,616 |
| Big Horn | 2,148 | 48.83% | 2,251 | 51.17% | -103 | -2.34% | 4,399 |
| Blaine | 1,524 | 51.18% | 1,454 | 48.82% | 70 | 2.35% | 2,978 |
| Broadwater | 3,797 | 81.13% | 883 | 18.87% | 2,914 | 62.26% | 4,680 |
| Carbon | 4,903 | 68.15% | 2,291 | 31.85% | 2,612 | 36.31% | 7,194 |
| Carter | 760 | 92.23% | 64 | 7.77% | 696 | 84.47% | 824 |
| Cascade | 22,728 | 62.33% | 13,735 | 37.67% | 8,993 | 24.66% | 36,463 |
| Chouteau | 1,932 | 68.49% | 889 | 31.51% | 1,043 | 36.97% | 2,821 |
| Custer | 4,265 | 76.01% | 1,346 | 23.99% | 2,919 | 52.02% | 5,611 |
| Daniels | 764 | 84.42% | 141 | 15.58% | 623 | 68.84% | 905 |
| Dawson | 3,590 | 80.13% | 890 | 19.87% | 2,700 | 60.27% | 4,480 |
| Deer Lodge | 2,251 | 47.89% | 2,449 | 52.11% | -198 | -4.21% | 4,700 |
| Fallon | 1,286 | 89.99% | 143 | 10.01% | 1,143 | 79.99% | 1,429 |
| Fergus | 5,071 | 77.51% | 1,471 | 22.49% | 3,600 | 55.03% | 6,542 |
| Flathead | 41,469 | 67.91% | 19,592 | 32.09% | 21,877 | 35.83% | 61,061 |
| Gallatin | 34,485 | 51.42% | 32,584 | 48.58% | 1,901 | 2.83% | 67,069 |
| Garfield | 741 | 96.11% | 30 | 3.89% | 711 | 92.22% | 771 |
| Glacier | 1,921 | 38.22% | 3,105 | 61.78% | -1,184 | -23.56% | 5,026 |
| Golden Valley | 447 | 86.63% | 69 | 13.37% | 378 | 73.26% | 516 |
| Granite | 1,545 | 73.85% | 547 | 26.15% | 998 | 47.71% | 2,092 |
| Hill | 3,934 | 59.70% | 2,656 | 40.30% | 1,278 | 19.39% | 6,590 |
| Jefferson | 5,663 | 69.84% | 2,445 | 30.16% | 3,218 | 39.69% | 8,108 |
| Judith Basin | 1,087 | 81.85% | 241 | 18.15% | 846 | 63.70% | 1,328 |
| Lake | 10,038 | 61.00% | 6,418 | 39.00% | 3,620 | 22.00% | 16,456 |
| Lewis and Clark | 21,997 | 53.58% | 19,055 | 46.42% | 2,942 | 7.17% | 41,052 |
| Liberty | 773 | 80.77% | 184 | 19.23% | 589 | 61.55% | 957 |
| Lincoln | 8,913 | 77.82% | 2,540 | 22.18% | 6,373 | 55.64% | 11,453 |
| Madison | 4,661 | 74.98% | 1,555 | 25.02% | 3,106 | 49.97% | 6,216 |
| McCone | 925 | 87.43% | 133 | 12.57% | 792 | 74.86% | 1,058 |
| Meagher | 901 | 79.04% | 239 | 20.96% | 662 | 58.07% | 1,140 |
| Mineral | 2,045 | 74.69% | 693 | 25.31% | 1,352 | 49.38% | 2,738 |
| Missoula | 28,544 | 40.69% | 41,609 | 59.31% | -13,065 | -18.62% | 70,153 |
| Musselshell | 2,574 | 87.46% | 369 | 12.54% | 2,205 | 74.92% | 2,943 |
| Park | 6,271 | 55.12% | 5,105 | 44.88% | 1,166 | 10.25% | 11,376 |
| Petroleum | 279 | 88.01% | 38 | 11.99% | 241 | 76.03% | 317 |
| Phillips | 1,788 | 83.63% | 350 | 16.37% | 1,438 | 67.26% | 2,138 |
| Pondera | 2,034 | 73.86% | 720 | 26.14% | 1,314 | 47.71% | 2,754 |
| Powder River | 942 | 89.12% | 115 | 10.88% | 827 | 78.24% | 1,057 |
| Powell | 2,507 | 78.44% | 689 | 21.56% | 1,818 | 56.88% | 3,196 |
| Prairie | 561 | 83.23% | 113 | 16.77% | 448 | 66.47% | 674 |
| Ravalli | 20,958 | 72.32% | 8,022 | 27.68% | 12,936 | 44.64% | 28,980 |
| Richland | 4,340 | 85.53% | 734 | 14.47% | 3,606 | 71.07% | 5,074 |
| Roosevelt | 2,017 | 53.06% | 1,784 | 46.94% | 233 | 6.13% | 3,801 |
| Rosebud | 2,452 | 68.22% | 1,142 | 31.78% | 1,310 | 36.45% | 3,594 |
| Sanders | 6,175 | 78.67% | 1,674 | 21.33% | 4,501 | 57.34% | 7,849 |
| Sheridan | 1,322 | 74.73% | 447 | 25.27% | 875 | 49.46% | 1,769 |
| Silver Bow | 8,027 | 45.88% | 9,468 | 54.12% | -1,441 | -8.24% | 17,495 |
| Stillwater | 4,794 | 82.50% | 1,017 | 17.50% | 3,777 | 65.00% | 5,811 |
| Sweet Grass | 1,853 | 79.49% | 478 | 20.51% | 1,375 | 58.99% | 2,331 |
| Teton | 2,548 | 73.66% | 911 | 26.34% | 1,637 | 47.33% | 3,459 |
| Toole | 1,597 | 80.49% | 387 | 19.51% | 1,210 | 60.99% | 1,984 |
| Treasure | 377 | 87.27% | 55 | 12.73% | 322 | 74.54% | 432 |
| Valley | 2,969 | 75.70% | 953 | 24.30% | 2,016 | 51.40% | 3,922 |
| Wheatland | 863 | 81.19% | 200 | 18.81% | 663 | 62.37% | 1,063 |
| Wibaux | 450 | 86.54% | 70 | 13.46% | 380 | 73.08% | 520 |
| Yellowstone | 51,603 | 65.38% | 27,325 | 34.62% | 24,278 | 30.76% | 78,928 |
| Totals | 358,642 | 61.42% | 225,251 | 38.58% | 133,391 | 22.85% | 583,893 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Blaine (largest city: Chinook)
- Gallatin (largest city: Bozeman)
- Roosevelt (largest city: Wolf Point)
By congressional district
Brown won both congressional districts.[10]
| District | Brown | Repke | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 57% | 43% | Ryan Zinke |
| 2nd | 66% | 34% | Matt Rosendale (118th Congress) |
| Troy Downing (119th Congress) |
Notes
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by the Montana Republican Party
References
- ^ "Montana Secretary of State". electionresults.mt.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "2024 State Primary Election Dates". www.ncsl.org. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (January 19, 2024). "PSC President James Brown announces campaign for state auditor". Montana Free Press. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (March 12, 2024). "Candidate filing deadline firms up 2024 election bracket". Montana Free Press. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Hooks, John (March 21, 2024). "Nine candidates disqualified from Montana's primary election ballot". Montana Public Radio. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Staff, NBC Montana (March 8, 2024). "Troy Downing announces run for U.S. House". KECI. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Montana Secretary of State". electionresults.mt.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "FEDERAL PRIMARY 2024 Candidate List". prodcandidatefiling.mt.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Jacobsen, Christi (November 5, 2024). "2024 STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTION CANVASS". Secretary of State of Montana. Archived from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ^ https://electionresults.mt.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=STATE&map=CTY