Skip links

Term Limits

Background on Term Limits in Montana:

In 1992, Montanans passed a constitutional initiative (CI-64) establishing limits on how long statewide elected executive officers, state legislators, and members of Congress* can hold office.

 *In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down term limits on congressional terms, saying that states do not have the constitutional authority to regulate the tenure of federal legislators.

The effect of CI-64 was to prohibit the following public officials from seeking re-election if they have already held the office for 8 years in any 16-year period:

GovernorAttorney General
Lieutenant GovernorSuperintendent of Public Instruction
Secretary of StateState Representative
State AuditorState Senator
  • Please note that pursuant to passage of Senate Bill 311 in 2011 and based on the 2012 Attorney General opinion at 54-4, “a candidate may file for office if, at the time the candidate begins to serve in that office, he or she will have had an 8-year break in service over a 16-year period of time.”
  • For example, an individual who served from 1999 to 2007 would no longer be prohibited by term limits from filing for the same office in 2014, since as of the time the individual begins to serve in 2015, there will have been a 8-year break in service (from January 2007- January 2015).

An official can be re-elected by write-in vote, even after serving 8 years in a 16-year period.

 

Executive Branch

Certain top elected executive officials were elected in 2016 and were re-elected in 2020, so they will reach their term limit in 2024:

The following top elected executive officials were elected in 2020, and if re-elected in 2024, will be term limited in 2028:

Public Service Commission

Pursuant to 69-1-105, MCA, Public Service Commissioners are also subject to term limits:

One Commissioner was elected in 2016, was re-elected in 2020, and will be term limited in 2024:

One commissioner was elected in 2018, was re-elected in 2022, and will be term limited in 2026:

Two Commissioners were elected in 2020, and if re-elected in 2024, will be term limited in 2028:

One Commissioner was elected in 2022, and if re-elected in 2026, will be term limited in 2030:

State Senate

2023 members of the state Senate, who are elected for four-year terms, will be term-limited from this body according to the following schedule:

District

Senator

Ineligible

1

Mike Cuffe

2026

2

Carl Glimm

2028

3

Keith Regier

2024

4

John Fuller

2030

5

Mark Noland

2030

6

Greg Hertz

2028

7

Bob Brown

2028

8

Susan A. Webber

2026

9

Bruce (Butch) Gillespie

2026

10

Steve Fitzpatrick

2024

11

Daniel Emrich

2030

12

Wendy McKamey

2030

13

Jeremy Trebas

2030

14

Russel E Tempel

2026

15

Dan Bartel

2030

16

Mike Fox

2028

17

Mike Lang

2024

18

Steve Hinebauch

2024

19

Kenneth Bogner

2026

20

Barry Usher

2030

21

Jason D Small

2024

22

Daniel Zolnikov

2030

23

Tom McGillvray

2028

24

Kathy Kelker

2030

25

Jen Gross

2024

26

Chris Friedel

2028

27

Dennis Lenz

2030

28

Brad Molnar

2028

29

Forrest Mandeville

2030

30

John Esp

2026

31

Christopher Pope

2028

32

Pat Flowers

2026

33

Denise Hayman

2030

34

Shelley Vance

2030

35

Walt Sales

2028

36

Jeff Welborn

2024

37

Ryan Lynch

2028

38

Edith (Edie) McClafferty

2024

39

Terry Vermeire

2030

40

Becky Beard

2032

41

Janet Ellis

2026

42

Mary Ann Dunwell

2030

43

Jason W. Ellsworth

2026

44

Theresa Manzella

2028

45

Ellie Hill (Boldman)

2028

46

Shannon O’Brien

2028

47

Dan Salomon

2024

48

Shane Morigeau

2030

49

Willis Curdy

2030

50

Andrea Olsen

2030

State House of Representatives

2023 members of the state House of Representatives, who are elected for two-year terms, will be term-limited from this body according to the following schedule:

DistrictRepresentativeIneligible
1Steve Gunderson2024
2Neil A Duram2026
3Braxton Mitchell2028
4Matt Regier2024
5Dave Fern2024
6Amy Regier2028
7Courtenay Sprunger2030
8Terry Falk2030
9Tony Brockman2030
10Bob Keenan2030
11Tanner J Smith2030
12Linda Reksten2028
13Paul C. Fielder2028
14Denley M. Loge2024
15Marvin R. Weatherwax Jr2026
16Tyson T Running Wolf2026
17Ross H Fitzgerald2024
18Llew Jones2026
19Russel Miner2030
20Fred Anderson2024
21Ed Buttrey2026
22Lola Sheldon-Galloway2024
23Scot Kerns2028
24Steven Galloway2028
25Steve Gist2028
26George Nikolakakos2030
27Josh J Kassmier2026
28Paul Tuss2030
29Ed Butcher2032
30James H Bergstrom2030
31Frank J. Smith2028
32Jonathan Windy Boy2024
33Casey Knudsen2024
34Rhonda Knudsen2026
35Brandon Ler2028
36Bob Phalen2028
37Jerry Schillinger2028
38Greg Kmetz2030
39Gary Parry2030
40Greg Oblander2030
41Paul Green2030
42Sharon Stewart Peregoy2024
43Kerri Seekins-Crowe2028
44Larry Brewster2026
45Katie Zolnikov2026
46Bill Mercer2026
47Denise Baum2030
48Jodee Etchart2030
49Emma Kerr-Carpenter2026
50Naarah N. Hastings2028
51Mike Yakawich2030
52Sherry Essmann2030
53Nelly Nicol2030
54Terry Moore2026
55Lee Deming2030
56Sue Vinton2024
57Fiona Nave2028
58Brad Barker2030
59Marty Malone2028
60Laurie Bishop2024
61Jim Hamilton2024
62Ed Stafman2028
63Alice Buckley2028
64Jane Gillette2028
65Kelly Kortum2028
66Eric Matthews2030
67Jedediah Hinkle2028
68Caleb Hinkle2028
69Jennifer Carlson2028
70Julie Dooling2026
71Kenneth M Walsh2028
72Tom Welch2024
73Jennifer Lynch2030
74Derek J. Harvey2026
75Marta Bertoglio2028
76Donavon Hawk2028
77John Fitzpatrick2030
78Gregory L. Frazer2028
79Laura Smith2030
80Zack Wirth2030
81Melissa Romano2030
82Mary Caferro2030
83Kim Abbott2024
84Jill Cohenour2030
85Michele Binkley2028
86David Bedey2026
87Ron Marshall2028
88Wayne Rusk2030
89Katie Sullivan2026
90Marilyn Marler2026
91Connie Keogh2026
92Mike Hopkins2024
93Joe Read2024
94Tom France2028
95SJ Howell2030
96Jonathan Karlen2030
97Lyn Hellegaard2030
98Bob Carter2030
99Mark Thane2028
100Zooey Zephyr2030