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| Turnout | 86.40% 0.60[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Anderson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Babcock: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The1968 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1968. IncumbentGovernor of MontanaTim Babcock, who became Governor upon the death of previous GovernorDonald Grant Nutter and was elected in1964, ran for re-election. He faced serious competition in theRepublican primary from hisLieutenant Governor, but managed to comfortably win renomination. Advancing to the general election, Babcock facedForrest H. Anderson, theAttorney General of Montana and theDemocratic nominee, andindependent candidate Wayne Montgomery of the New Reform Party. Ultimately, Anderson managed to defeat Babcock by a solid margin, winning his first and only term as governor. As of 2023, this is the last time an incumbent Governor of Montana lost re-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Forrest H. Anderson | 39,057 | 38.36 | |
| Democratic | Eugene H. Mahoney | 35,562 | 34.93 | |
| Democratic | LeRoy H. Anderson | 16,476 | 16.18 | |
| Democratic | Willard E. Fraser | 8,525 | 8.37 | |
| Democratic | Hanford K. Gallup | 1,149 | 1.13 | |
| Democratic | Merrill K. Riddick | 1,052 | 1.03 | |
| Total votes | 101,821 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Babcock (incumbent) | 50,369 | 55.10 | |
| Republican | Ted James | 36,664 | 40.11 | |
| Republican | Warren A. McMillan | 2,994 | 3.28 | |
| Republican | J. Wellington Fauver | 1,392 | 1.52 | |
| Total votes | 91,419 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Forrest H. Anderson | 150,481 | 54.11% | +5.40% | |
| Republican | Tim Babcock (incumbent) | 116,432 | 41.87% | −9.43% | |
| New Reform Party | Wayne Montgomery | 11,199 | 4.03% | ||
| Majority | 34,049 | 12.24% | +9.66% | ||
| Turnout | 278,112 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | Swing | ||||
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