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state house district

Montana 85th State House District

Office (updates table and map)

President margin by year

Place winner margin

1896–2024 · D minus R

Full record · 1896 → 2024

2024

Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab

The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the district’s overall result across 1892–2024, on its current boundaries.

People and households

Who lives here

Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.

Race · ethnicity · ancestry

Communities and origins

German24.9%22.9%12.5%

English16.3%13.1%9.5%

Irish12.8%13.5%9.4%

Italian5.5%3.2%4.8%

American4.9%5.4%5.3%

Norwegian4.4%7.5%—

Scottish3.8%2.6%1.3%

French3.7%—1.6%

Mexican2.1%2.9%11.3%

Spanish0.5%0.3%—

Cuban0.4%—0.7%

Spaniard0.3%0.3%—

Puerto Rican0.2%0.2%1.8%

Choctaw0.3%——

Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.

Age and life stage

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Median age	52.2	40.8	39.1
Age 18–24	5.9%	9.1%	9.2%
Age 65 and older	27.0%	20.0%	17.2%

Household economy

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Median household income	$74,361	$72,509	$84,427
Poverty rate	8.9%	11.5%	12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)	28.7%	35.3%	35.6%

Housing and tenure

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Owner-occupied homes	84.1%	69.2%	65.2%
Renter-occupied homes	15.9%	30.8%	34.8%
Median home value	$493,500	$375,800	$332,700
Median gross rent (monthly)	$1,108	$1,081	$1,413
Renters paying 30%+ of income	45.4%	44.8%	51.1%
Vacant housing units	19.0%	13.2%	10.1%

Getting to work

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Mean commute	23.3 min	19.1 min	26.4 min
Commutes 60 minutes or more	10.3%	4.8%	8.6%
Drives alone to work	73.9%	71.1%	68.8%
Takes public transit	0.0%	0.6%	3.2%
Works from home	13.0%	12.5%	15.1%

Languages at home

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Speaks a non-English language at home	3.3%	4.2%	22.3%
Spanish	1.3%	1.5%	13.6%

Religious landscape

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Catholic	—	10.3%	18.6%
Evangelical Protestant	—	13.6%	16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted	—	65.3%	51.5%

Origins and service

Measure	MT HD 85	Montana	United States
Foreign-born residents	1.8%	2.3%	14.1%
Naturalized citizens	1.5%	1.2%	7.4%
Not U.S. citizens	0.3%	1.1%	6.8%
Veterans (18+)	13.9%	9.0%	6.2%
Income inequality (Gini)	0.452	0.465	0.483

American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations · American Community Survey 2024 — housing and tenure (B25003, B25002, B25077, B25064, B25070), commuting (B08013, B08303, B08301), origins and service (B05002, B21001, B19083).

President results by year

Modeled candidate-vote estimate on current district boundaries

HarrisDemocratic23.2%1,794TrumpRepublican74.5%5,761OtherAll other candidates2.3%178

R+51.3

Lead: 3,967
Total: 7,733
vs nation: R+49.8

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

BidenDemocratic25.5%1,859TrumpRepublican72.6%5,285OtherAll other candidates1.9%139

R+47.0

Lead: 3,426
Total: 7,283
vs nation: R+51.5

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ClintonDemocratic22.5%1,327TrumpRepublican71.4%4,218OtherAll other candidates6.1%359

R+49.0

Lead: 2,891
Total: 5,904
vs nation: R+51.1

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ObamaDemocratic26.8%1,532RomneyRepublican71.3%4,078OtherAll other candidates1.9%110

R+44.5

Lead: 2,546
Total: 5,720
vs nation: R+48.4

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ObamaDemocratic31.5%1,763McCainRepublican66.3%3,718OtherAll other candidates2.2%123

R+34.9

Lead: 1,955
Total: 5,604
vs nation: R+42.2

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

KerryDemocratic25.4%1,314BushRepublican73.1%3,784OtherAll other candidates1.5%76

R+47.7

Lead: 2,470
Total: 5,174
vs nation: R+45.3

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

GoreDemocratic21.4%967BushRepublican70.5%3,191OtherAll other candidates8.1%366

R+49.2

Lead: 2,224
Total: 4,524
vs nation: R+49.7

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

ClintonDemocratic27.4%1,126DoleRepublican55.7%2,293OtherAll other candidates16.9%695

R+28.4

Lead: 1,167
Total: 4,114
vs nation: R+36.9

modeled Census-place estimatemodeled estimate

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+51.3MIT Election Lab
Population: 11,0622024 5-year
Population density: 6.2 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
Land area: 1,791 sq miTIGER/Line
Median household income: $74,3612024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 89.7%2024 5-year
Black: 0.1%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 3.7%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+68.8 in 1896MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+52.7 in 1928MIT Election Lab
Most similar: State House District 87, MT · twin score 98.9

presidential history

Party record book

Montana 85th State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.

1896–2024 · 33 presidential cycles

Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.

Democratic

William J. Bryan1896

84.4%

303 votes · D+68.8 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 52.6%

Republican

Herbert Hoover1928

75.8%

702 votes · R+52.7 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2024 · 74.5%

Most votes

Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.

Democratic

Joe Biden2020

1,859votes

25.5% of the vote · R+47.0 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 1,794 votes

Republican

Donald Trump2024

5,761votes

74.5% of the vote · R+51.3 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 5,285 votes

Best relative to the U.S.

This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.

Democratic

William J. Bryan1896

+74.9pts D vs U.S.

Place D+68.8 · U.S. R+6.1 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · William J. Bryan, 1900 · −0.3 pts

Republican

Donald Trump2020

+51.5pts R vs U.S.

Place R+47.0 · U.S. D+4.5 · modeled estimate

Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2016 · +51.1 pts

current representation

Current officeholders

RKathy LoveState House · 85

State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.

U.S. House elections · 3 House

Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.

U.S. House

Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.

Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year	Vote lead	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	31.2%2,145	68.8%4,728	6,873
2020	R	32.8%2,213	67.2%4,525	6,738
2018	R	36.4%1,962	63.6%3,431	5,393

Montana 85th State House District sits in the Northern Rockies. In 2024 it voted Republican.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 68.8 points in 1896 and a Republican high of 52.7 points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 51.3 points.

A population of 11,062, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,361 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 87 and State House District 1.

Political twins — state-house districts

The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

State House District 87

2012–2024 trajectory

State House District 1

2012–2024 trajectory

State House District 88

% unaffiliated2020–2024 trajectorypopulation scale

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

District research tools

Open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report → · Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

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

Montana 85th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/30085/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

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Places within Montana 85th State House District

counties it covers1

Frequently asked questions

How did Montana 85th State House District vote in 2024?

In 2024, Montana 85th State House District voted Republican by 51.3 points (R+51.3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 7,733 votes cast, 1,794 went Democratic and 5,761 went Republican.

When did Montana 85th State House District last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Montana 85th State House District voted Democratic was 1936.

How many people live in Montana 85th State House District?

Montana 85th State House District has a population of 11,062 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Montana 85th State House District?

Median household income in Montana 85th State House District is $74,361 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.

What is the political history of Montana 85th State House District?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Montana 85th State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 29 went Republican.