The November ballot
Raised so far, filed with the FEC
General-election ballot as recorded August 27, 2026. Not a prediction.
The seat
Ryan Zinke
Republican · Holds the seat now
How to vote in Montana
- General electionNovember 3, 2026In 10 weeks
Register 30 days before by mail, or late/same-day through Election Day in person.
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How they won the primary
The primary · 70,228 votes
- Sam ForstagWon37.3%26,276
- Ryan Busse33.1%23,196
- Russell Cleveland21.7%15,238
- Matt Rains7.9%5,518
The primary · 82,212 votes
- Aaron FlintWon50.1%41,170
- Christi Jacobsen23%18,877
- Al Olszewski20.3%16,686
- Ray Curtis6.7%5,479
Primary results as recorded August 27, 2026, in the canvass's own published order. Source: the state's canvass, via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). A primary result is a filed fact about a past contest, not a prediction of November.
The money on this race
- Raised by candidates
- $5.2M
- Outside money
- $1.5M
Outside money, for and against
Independent expenditures; direction is each filer's own declared filing.
Where each candidate's money comes from
Small donors give under $200; PACs are political action committees. Shares of each candidate's own receipts on file with the FEC. Outside money is not part of these figures.
Who is spending on this race
The 7 groups spending independently here, ranked; open a row for whose race the money went into.
Independent expenditures reported to the FEC; direction is each group's own declared filing.
Not on the November ballot
6 filed- Ryan ZinkeRepublican-
- Ryan BusseDemocrat$790K
- Russell ClevelandDemocrat$458K
- Christi JacobsenRepublican$553K
- Albert OlszewskiRepublican$427K
Primary candidates who did not advance, committees still on file, and candidacies that ended. Being here is a filing fact, not a mark against anyone.
The district
Census context- People
- 565K
- Median household income
- $74K
- Unemployment
- 3.4%
- Living below the poverty line
- 11.4%
- Without health insurance
- 8.9%
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Context about the district, not a statement about any candidate.
How this seat voted last time
R+8 in 2024
- Ryan K. ZinkeWon52.3%
- Monica Tranel44.6%
322,266 votes for candidates. A past result is a filed fact, not a prediction of November.
Certified returns via MIT Election Data and Science Lab, from the House Clerk's election statistics and state canvasses.
Candidates and financing from the FEC, public domain; money figures carry their own coverage dates. Dataset built 2026-08-27. Nothing here is a forecast, a grade, or a ranking of candidates.