|
| |
Law and government
The current Governor is Brian Schweitzer (Democrat) who was sworn in on January
3, 2005. Its two U.S. senators are Max Baucus (Democrat) and Jon Tester
(Democrat). Montana's congressional representative is Denny Rehberg
(Republican).
The state was the first to elect a female member of Congress (Jeannette Rankin)
and was one of the first states to give women voting rights (see suffrage).
Despite its sizable American Indian population, Montana is one of the most
homogenous states — nearly 90% of its residents are of European descent, with a
large number of immigrants of German, Irish, Norwegian, Welsh, Cornish, Italian,
Slovak and Scandinavian heritage arriving in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. A significant portion of Chinese (Cantonese) immigrants also came and
left an indelible mark on the state, especially in the mining cities of Helena,
Butte, and Anaconda.
Politics
Montana State Capitol in Helena.Historically, Montana is a Swing state of
cross-ticket voters with a tradition of sending "conservatives to Helena (the
state capital) and liberals to Washington." However, there have also been
long-term shifts of party control. During the 1970s, the state was dominated by
the Democratic Party, with Democratic governors for a 20-year period, and a
Democratic majority of both the national congressional delegation and during
many sessions of the state legislature. This pattern shifted, beginning with the
1988 election, when Montana elected a Republican governor and sent a Republican
to the U.S. Senate for the first time since the 1940s. This shift continued with
the reapportionment of the state's legislative districts that took effect in
1994, when the Republican Party took control of both houses of the state
legislature, consolidating a party dominance that lasted until 2004. The state
last supported a Democrat for president in 1992, Bill Clinton's first election.
In recent years, Montana has been classified as a Republican-leaning state, and
the state supported President George W. Bush by a wide margin in 2000 and 2004.
However, since the 2000 reapportionment plan went into effect in 2004 the state
currently has a Democratic governor (Brian Schweitzer), elected in 2004. In the
2006 midterm elections, Democratic candidate Jon Tester narrowly defeated (by
only 3000 votes) incumbent Republican Senator Conrad Burns, one of several
crucial races that allowed the Democratic Party to win the majority in the U.S.
Senate. Montana's lone US Congressman, Republican Denny Rehberg, easily won
reelection in a landslide. The state Senate is (as of 2007) controlled by the
Democrats and the State House of Representatives is controlled by the
Republicans.
On April 17th, 2007, Montana became the first state to pass legislation against
the federal government's Real ID Act. Gov. Schweitzer signed a bill banning the
Montana Motor Vehicle Division from enforcing the new regulations.
Montana is an Alcoholic beverage control state.
| |
|
