Southeast Montana News

After U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Montana) won against Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in the race to be Montana’s next governor with an 12-point margin, the new governor-elect told his supporters that they sent a strong message to Helena about the direction they want the state to go in.

“After 16 long years of single party rule in the governor’s office, it’s time for Helena to change the way they do business,” Gianforte said during his victory speech, according to the Missoula Current.

Cooney initially declined to concede after the Associated Press declared the race for Gianforte around 10:45 p.m., according to the Current. He conceded later in the evening, and the final total gave Gianforte a 54%- to- 42% victory.

In a post to his official Facebook page, Gianforte later followed with a personal "thank you" to Montana voters who supported him.

“Montanans made clear that they want a leader to get our economy going again, a leader to get Montanans back to work in good-paying jobs, a leader who will protect our Montana way of life, and a leader who will change how business is done in Helena,” Gianforte shared in the post.