Montana Governor: Check Current Name, Party, Term Limits and Prior Public Experience

Montana is governed as a constitutional republic with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is led by the Governor, elected to serve a 4-year term. The Governor oversees the administration of state agencies. The legislature in Montana is bicameral. The legislature is comprised of a House of Representatives consisting of one hundred members and a Senate consisting of fifty members.

The legislature is responsible for the creation of state laws and budgets. The legislature meets biannually unless called into a special session. The judicial branch is led by the Montana Supreme Court, which ensures that the laws made by the legislature are in line with the Montana Constitution. Governance at the local level is conducted through the counties, cities, and towns throughout Montana, with those elections held through the same processes as the state level. Montana promotes government transparency, citizen engagement, and accountability at all levels of government. Montana has a rich tradition emphasizing individual rights and environmental stewardship, which has been adopted into the state constitution and policies.

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Montana Governor: Greg Gianforte

Greg Gianforte is the current governor of Montana, first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Born in 1961 in California, he built his career in technology by founding RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, which was later sold to Oracle. Before becoming governor, he served as Montana’s representative in the U.S. House from 2017 to 2021.

 As governor, Gianforte has focused on conservative economic policies, including cutting income and property taxes, promoting job growth, and trying to improve housing affordability. He has also faced criticism for supporting laws that restrict transgender rights, including limitations on gender-affirming care. In 2025, he signed a bill banning lab-grown meat in Montana, aiming to protect the state’s ranching industry and traditional agriculture.

Party and Term Limits

Greg Gianforte, a Republican, is the governor of Montana and was first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. He is the first Republican governor in Montana to win a second term since the 1990s. 

The constitution in Montana limits a governor to two terms in any 16-year period. Therefore, Gianforte will reach his term limit in January 2029. He has pushed a conservative economic agenda since being in office, including tax cuts, business growth, and supporting traditional agriculture. 

His administration has also received national attention for enacting controversial laws related to transgender rights and banning lab-grown meat. As a Republican official, Gianforte has cemented his party's control over state government and promoted a pro-business and socially conservative agenda.

Prior Public Experience 

Technology Entrepreneur

Prior to politics, Greg Gianforte became a name in the tech space. He co-founded RightNow Technologies in Bozeman, Montana, a major software company that was acquired by Oracle in 2011. His business background helped inform his pro-business policy positions.

First Run for Governor

Gianforte ran for governor of Montana in 2016 as a Republican candidate but lost to the Democratic incumbent, Steve Bullock. This served as his first entry into public life.

U.S. House Representative

In 2017, he won a special election to represent Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives after Ryan Zinke left Congress to join the Trump administration. He was reelected in 2018 and served in the House until 2021.

Governor of Montana

In 2020, Gianforte ran again for his state and won! He was re-elected in 2024, becoming the first Republican governor of Montana to serve two terms since the 1990s.