WASHINGTON _ Rep. Greg Gianforte, Montana's lone House member, is planning to announce a run for governor in 2020, according to the state's MTN News network.
Gianforte was elected to the House in the first special election of Donald Trump's presidency in 2017. He would be the fourth Republican to announce a run for governor in the state, which has trended increasingly red in recent local elections, although Democrats have notched some marquee wins in statewide office races.
No Democrats have announced campaigns for Montana governor so far.
Publicly, Gianforte is keeping any plans for a run for the governor's mansion close to the vest.
"Greg has received a lot of encouragement from Montanans about running for Governor," a spokesman for the congressman said in a statement. "Greg's considering how best he can use his executive experience and background in creating high-wage Montana jobs to best serve Montana, and he will announce his decision in the coming weeks."
Term-limited Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running for president in 2020, defeated Gianforte by 4 percentage points in his 2016 reelection bid. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester successfully defended his seat from state auditor Matt Rosendale by a 3-point margin in the 2018 midterms.
If Gianforte emerges from the crowded Republican primary field next year, that would also open up Montana's at-large House seat for the 2020 election.
Rosendale would be in pole position among Republicans to replace Gianforte in Washington, according to a February poll from the conservative Club for Growth, a national organization that promotes Republican candidates with a track record of free-enterprise and deregulation policies.
Despite electing Democrats statewide at the Senate and gubernatorial level, Montana hasn't elected a Democrat to its at-large House seat since 1994.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Solid Republican, though that calculus could change if Gianforte drops from contention to run for governor.
Whether Gianforte runs or not has not deterred Democrat Kathleen Williams, from announcing in March she will be running for the seat again in 2020. She lost to Gianforte in the 2018 midterms by less than 5 points.
President Donald Trump received 21% more votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, though his net approval rating dropped by 21 points from the beginning of his presidency to April of 2019, when it stood at 50% approval to 47% disapproval, according to Morning Consult's Trump tracking system.
