In a state commonly considered in the “red state” column, Jefferson County voters were even redder than the statewide tally at the November 6 general election.
With a 77 percent voter turnout, remarkably high for a non-presidential election, Jefferson County voters let it be known that they wanted Republicans in charge.
THE ONLY DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT WIN
Only one Democratic candidate in a partisan race, Montana House District 75 hopeful Bryher Herak, took even a single precinct. She collected 51 percent of the ballots cast in Precinct 3, which includes Boulder and the northern portion of the Boulder Valley.
Her Republican opponent, Greg DeVries, won every other one of the ten Jefferson County precincts, including Herak’s home precinct in Basin. In Precinct 2, which includes the Whitehall area north of I-90 and the southern portion of the Boulder Valley, DeVries enjoyed landslide proportions of 68 percent to 31.
DeVries will take office when the Montana legislature convenes in January.
STATEWIDE RACES
In the tight race for U.S. Senator, where Democrat Jon Tester won reelection across the state with a 50 percent margin over Republican Matt Rosendale with 47 percent, Jefferson County voters favored Rosendale by a 53 to 43 margin. Rosendale and Tester tied, with 34 votes each, in the Elk Park area, traditionally a fairly Democratic area, but Rosendale prevailed in every other precinct, with the Whitehall and Jefferson City precincts going 60 percent to Rosendale. In the Boulder and eastern Montana City precincts, Tester was within a single percentage point of the leading Rosendale.
Overall, Rosendale won by ten points in the county but lost by three points statewide.
The Republican trend of Jefferson County was even more pronounced in the U.S. Representative race. Incumbent Republican Greg Gianforte won the county by a 20 point margin, 58 percent to 38 percent for Democratic opponent Kathleen Williams. Gianforte’s margin of victory statewide was five points, 51 to 46 percent. The strongest support for Gianforte came in the Whitehall and Jefferson City areas, where he captured as much as 66 percent of the vote.
LOCAL NON-PARTISAN RACES
In local non-partisan races, the county’s voters went with Dean Hildebrand over Steve Andersen for Justice of the Peace. In the early vote count of absentee ballots, only six votes out of over 3400 separated the pair, but Hildebrand to win by five points at the end. Nearly 1100 voters chose not to mark a preference in that race. Andersen narrowly led in the Clancy precinct west of I-15 and the Montana City precinct east of I-15. Hildebrand’s strongest support came from Jefferson City and west of I-15 in the Montana City area.
Hildebrand will take office in January, replacing retiring justice Dennis Giulio.
Bob Mullen, incumbent non-partisan county commissioner, pulled down 70 percent of the vote to defeat challenger David Murray. Mullen was favored by 4037 voters, compared to 1703 for Murray. Mullen polled at least 66 percent in every precinct.
Unopposed races in the county showed voters are highly pleased with current officeholders. Clerk and Recorder Bonnie Ramey, Sheriff Craig Doolittle, Attorney Steven Haddon, Superintendent of Schools Anika McCauley and Treasurer Terri Kunz each received at least 98 percent of the votes.
District Judge Luke Berger, on the ballot for the first time since he was appointed to the bench, received a 74 percent nod in the county and 86 percent district-wide, which includes Madison and Beaverhead counties. Nearly 900 voters decided not to cast a vote in that area. Judges run unopposed, with voters asked whether the judge ought to be retained or not.
BALLOT ISSUES
Jefferson County’s conservative tendencies were also reflected in the vote on ballot issues. The responses, compared to statewide results, indicate county voters want the government out of their pockets and out of regulating their lives.
While a majority of county voters favored continuing the six-mill levy for the university system, that position was five points lower than across the state, where 63 percent of the voters said yes.
County voters also agreed with the statewide result favoring limits on carrying ballots to the poll for others, but the percentage of support was lower in the county.
Jefferson County voters delivered a strong no vote to the initiatives on the ballot. Fifty-nine percent of the voters opposed the tobacco tax increase, six points more than the statewide result. Sixty-four percent of voters in the county opposed increased mining regulation, compared to the 56 percent no vote statewide.
Voters in the county went against the trend in a mill levy to support the emergency broadcast system. That measure passed 4092 to 2610.
NATIONWIDE RESULTS
Democrats were predicting a “blue wave” across Congressional elections prior to Tuesday’s vote, and they did regain control of the U.S. House. But Republicans were discounting the “blue wave” and claiming victory because of victories in Senate and gubernatorial races.
The one statewide race where Montana voters as a whole favored a Democrat was in the Tester win over Rosendale, a result not supported in Jefferson County’s vote tally.
Not only did Jefferson County voters indicate a strong preference for Republicans, they also were more enthused about casting a ballot than was the case statewide. While only 69 percent of eligible voters turned out statewide, 77 percent of Jefferson County’s eligible voters expressed their preference.
