The1988 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1988. IncumbentGovernor of MontanaTed Schwinden, who was first elected in1980 and was re-elected in1984, declined to seek re-election to a third term, creating an open seat.Stan Stephens, the former president of theMontana Senate, won a closeRepublican primary, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed byThomas Lee Judge, Schwinden's predecessor as governor and theDemocratic nominee. Though the general election was hotly contested, Stephens ultimately defeated Judge, becoming the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in Montana since1964.[2]
Jim Waltermire, theMontana Secretary of State, was widely perceived to be the frontrunner in the primary, but, two months before the election, he was killed in a plane crash. Following his death, the race was narrowed down to Stan Stephens and Carl Winslow, though Waltermire remained on the ballot. Stephens earned the endorsement of much of the Republican establishment in the state, and campaigned on his experience in elected office and his success in the private sector. Winslow, meanwhile, campaigned on his youth and his ability to attract new businesses to the state.[4]
[1]
County results
Congressional district results
.jpg)