Montana 1st Congressional District (MT) — Elections 1876–2024

Montana 1st Congressional District, Montana: Tossup district. In 2024, voted R+12%. Democratic peak: D+75 in 1896.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+12MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: TossupAkashic typology
Population: 565,5192024 5-year
Median household income: $74,0912024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 86.5%2024 5-year
Black: 0.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 4.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+75 in 1896MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+24 in 2000MIT Election Lab

ZINKE, RyanCongress 119 · Republican

−1 liberal

+1 conservative

Predecessors: ROSENDALE, Matthew M., Sr. (2021–2023), GIANFORTE, Greg (2019–2021), GIANFORTE, Greg (2017–2019), DAINES, Steve (2013–2015)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).

2024 results by constituent county

16 counties · 5 D · 11 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−11.6%	137,498	174,998	322,573
2020	R	−7.0%	143,462	165,640	317,110
2016	R	−11.8%	101,357	131,472	256,274
2012	R	−7.6%	107,930	126,443	242,181
2008	D	+2.5%	121,815	115,761	246,267
2004	R	−15.9%	88,801	123,413	218,030
2000	R	−23.6%	63,811	109,667	194,375
1996	R	−0.4%	78,491	79,299	186,837
1992	D	+6.5%	72,265	60,179	184,563
1988	R	−1.8%	75,322	78,087	156,355
1984	R	−17.1%	66,076	93,789	162,457
1980	R	−20.0%	52,829	83,885	155,398
1976	R	−5.9%	62,953	70,944	136,320
1972	R	−13.3%	53,942	71,337	130,936
1968	R	−1.3%	48,405	49,764	108,363
1964	D	+24.1%	67,638	41,251	109,706
1960	D	+2.6%	55,336	52,486	108,189
1956	R	−13.7%	46,276	60,985	107,261
1952	R	−13.2%	44,942	58,749	104,383
1948	D	+10.3%	46,943	37,861	88,494
1944	D	+10.4%	44,150	35,801	80,664
1940	D	+20.4%	58,946	38,776	98,821
1936	D	+43.9%	61,158	22,816	87,316
1932	D	+24.9%	48,881	28,499	81,810
1928	R	−11.4%	31,702	39,987	72,696
1924	O	−14.7%	15,015	24,900	67,349
1920	R	−22.6%	22,771	37,503	65,285
1916	D	+20.3%	38,362	24,704	67,313
1912	O	+17.0%	13,819	7,592	36,577
1908	D	+2.9%	16,608	15,536	36,674
1904	R	−11.6%	13,264	17,438	35,867
1900	D	+32.2%	24,194	12,241	37,178
1896	D	+75.3%	26,343	3,659	30,116
1892	R	−1.4%	9,381	9,715	24,235
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Congressional elections · 17 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	D %	R %	Total
2024	R	45.5%	52.6%	607,262
2020	R	45.0%	55.0%	605,637
2018	D	50.3%	46.8%	504,384
2014	R	40.1%	57.8%	369,826
2012	D	48.6%	44.9%	486,066
2008	D	72.9%	27.1%	477,658
2006	D	49.2%	48.3%	406,505
2002	D	62.7%	31.7%	326,537
2000	R	47.2%	50.6%	411,601
1996	D	49.6%	44.7%	407,490
1994	R	37.6%	62.4%	350,387
1990	D	68.1%	29.4%	319,336
1988	R	48.1%	51.9%	365,254
1984	D	56.9%	40.7%	379,155
1982	D	54.5%	41.7%	321,062
1978	D	55.7%	44.3%	287,942
1976	D	64.2%	35.8%	321,445

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

21.1%

Irish

14.2%

English

14.1%

American

4.5%

Italian

3.8%

Scottish

3.0%

French

2.8%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 40.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.0%

2.9%

75–84

2.9%

6.2%

65–74

6.3%

55–64

6.4%

5.8%

45–54

5.3%

6.7%

35–44

6.3%

6.9%

25–34

6.3%

5.5%

18–24

4.9%

7.6%

5–17

7.1%

2.5%

2.3%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$74,091

Congressional District 1 ranks near the middle of US counties.

Congressional District 1$74,091

Montana$72,509

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

11.3%

Child poverty is below the national average.

Children under 1811.1%

Working age (18–64)11.6%

Seniors (65+)9.4%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

95.6%

speak English only

Spanish1.7%

Other Indo-European1.5%

Asian & Pacific Islander0.7%

Other languages0.5%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Other Christian

12.6%

Catholic & Orthodox

10.5%

Mainline Protestant

3.8%

Pentecostal & Holiness

3.3%

Baptist

1.3%

Methodist

0.8%

Non-Christian

0.6%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 67.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Covering roughly the eastern two-thirds of Montana by land area, this district pairs ranching communities and energy-sector workers with small cities like Billings, producing consistent Republican margins in federal races.

The district's recent history is a story of close margins. The Democratic margin reached seventy-five points in 1896; the Republican margin reached twenty-four points in 2000. Most other elections have been decided by single-digit points.

Its demographics — a population of 565,519, a 87% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $74,091 — situate the district close to national averages on several dimensions.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Congressional District 1, Montana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/3001/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 1, Montana vote in 2024?

In 2024, Congressional District 1, Montana voted Republican by 11.6 points (R+12), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 322,573 votes cast, 137,498 went Democratic and 174,998 went Republican.

What is Congressional District 1, Montana's political archetype?

Akashic classifies Congressional District 1, Montana as a "Tossup" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 13 times, Republican 19 times, and other 2 times.

When did Congressional District 1, Montana last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 1, Montana voted Democratic was 2008.

How many people live in Congressional District 1, Montana?

Congressional District 1, Montana has a population of 565,519 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Congressional District 1, Montana?

Median household income in Congressional District 1, Montana is $74,091 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.

What is the political history of Congressional District 1, Montana?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 1, Montana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Tossup" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Montana 1st Congressional District delivered R+12 in 2024 — close enough to flip again next time.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions