The 1976 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Governor of Montana Thomas Lee Judge, who was first elected in 1972, ran for re-election. He won the Democratic primary unopposed, and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Bob Woodahl, the Attorney General of Montana and the Republican nominee. Ultimately, Judge defeated Woodahl by a landslide to win his second and final term as governor.
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| Turnout | 74.60% 10.00[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Judge: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Woodahl: 40–50% 50–60% Mahoney: 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Thomas Lee Judge, incumbent Governor of Montana
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Judge (incumbent) | 79,596 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 79,596 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Bob Woodahl, Attorney General of Montana
- Jack McDonald, State Senator
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Woodahl | 47,629 | 56.67 | |
| Republican | Jack McDonald | 36,420 | 43.33 | |
| Total votes | 84,049 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Judge (incumbent) | 195,420 | 61.70% | +7.58% | |
| Republican | Bob Woodahl | 115,848 | 36.58% | −9.30% | |
| Independent | Charlie Mahoney | 5,452 | 1.72% | ||
| Majority | 79,572 | 25.12% | +16.88% | ||
| Turnout | 316,720 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 1, 1976". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Report of the Official Canvass of the Votes Cast at the General Election Held in the State of Montana, November 2, 1976". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 5, 2014.