Greg Gianforte won re-election as Montana’s governor on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, helping Republicans solidify their power in a state that in recent years has taken a sharp turn to the right.
Mr. Gianforte, a former software executive, defeated a Democratic challenger, Ryan Busse, a former gun industry executive.
Montana was once known as a state with many ticket-splitting voters, and before Mr. Gianforte’s initial election in 2020, Democrats held the governor’s office for 16 years in a row. But Republicans now have broad control over state government, having gained strength during the coronavirus pandemic as wealthy newcomers flocked to the state and many residents, new and old, complained about government overreach.
Mr. Gianforte and Republicans have approved bills to curtail abortion, although some restrictions have been struck down by the state’s courts. He signed a law banning transgender care for minors while also advocating limits on government regulation.
Mr. Busse has talked often about his background in hunting and fishing and expressed concern that Montana was turning into a playground for the wealthy that is becoming increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for middle-income people.
In his ascent to the state’s top leadership, Mr. Gianforte overcame a series of scandals, including a 2017 conviction for assaulting a reporter during a campaign for Congress.
In 2021, after he became governor, Mr. Gianforte killed a wolf and was given a warning for having failed to take a wolf-trapping certification course, as required by the state. This year, law enforcement officers who investigated the wolf killing said they had been pressured by superiors to lie about the governor’s role in the killing.
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