CQ Risk Rating: No Clear Favorite 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Denny Rehberg (R) | 211,418 | 52% |
| Nancy Keenan (D) | 189,971 | 46% |
| James J. Tikalsky (LIBERT) | 9,132 | 2% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: JUNE 6, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Nancy Keenan | 86,114 | 100% |
| | Libertarian |
| James J. Tikalsky | Unopposed |
| | Republican |
| Denny Rehberg | 98,646 | 100% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Military Bases | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
MONTANA
:
At large
Montana's Big Sky country has long been a place where pioneers travel to
strike it rich. Once explored by Lewis and Clark and later mined by fur
trappers and gold seekers, Montana is now a prime destination for
celebrities and telecommuters who want to own their own small piece of the
frontier.
After the 1990 census, Montana lost one of its two congressional seats.
The resulting district combines the state's politically independent halves
into one unpredictable voting bloc. The western, mountainous half of the
state leans Democratic, with a union tradition in mining and lumber mills.
It's also home to the state's university community in Missoula. The eastern
half, a flat plain used to raise wheat and cattle, follows a tradition of
rural Republicanism.
Despite these differences, both halves can be conservative and
independent. The state elected Jeanette Rankin, the first woman in Congress,
in 1916. Ross Perot had some of his best showings in the nation here in both
1992 and '96. Now that the western side of the state is becoming a
destination for folks heading west, it's expected that the state will regain
its lost seat after the 2000 census.
With an economy based on natural resources, Montana finds itself
exploiting its terrain while also striving to protect it. In ballot
initiatives, voters have rejected some environmental regulations. Yet Butte,
the site of years of invasive mining, is the center of a massive superfund
clean-up effort. Forestry and agriculture dominate the economy, but the same
land supports numerous national parks, forests and a growing tourism
industry.
Major Industry
Agriculture, tourism, forestry
Military Bases
Malmstrom Air Force Base, 3,523 military, 468 civilian (1997)
Population
879,372 (1998 est.)
Cities
Billings, 91,195; Great Falls, 57,758; Missoula, 51,204 (1996)
People
47% rural; 13% age 65+ (ranks middle third nationally); 58% married couples,
28% married couples with children; 20% college educated (ranks middle third
nationally); 52% white collar (ranks bottom third nationally), 23% blue
collar (ranks bottom third nationally) (1990)
Race
93% white, 0% black, 1% Asian, 6% American Indian; 2% Hispanic origin (1996)
Median Household Income
$29,277 (ranks bottom third nationally) (1997)
Unusual Features
Yellowstone National Park; Jordan, site of a standoff in 1996 between
federal authorities and an anti-tax group called The Freemen.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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