With nearly all Montana precincts reporting, 53 percent of voters opposed a proposal to increase the state’s tobacco tax. Forty-seven percent supported it. I-185 was the single most expensive ballot initiative in Montana history. Final fundraising tallies aren’t in yet, but tobacco companies poured more than $17 million into Montana this election season to defeat Initiative-185. That’s more than twice as much cash as the initiative’s supporters were able to muster. Most of that money came from

Just after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Senator Jon Tester made this statement to a room full of supporters at a Great Falls hotel. "For those of you that don't know — and I don't think anybody knows this — AP has just called this race," Tester told the crowd.

Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Kathleen Williams in Montana's U.S. House race last night to win his first full term in office. With nearly all votes counted today, Gianforte won by a margin of 6.1 percent. He got 51.6 percent of the vote to Williams’ 45.5. Neal Ullman, a spokesperson for Kathleen Williams’ campaign says misleading campaign ads may have contributed to Williams’ defeat but doesn’t know what other factors played a part.

Montana voters Tuesday passed the Six Mill Levy for the eighth time in the past 70 years. The property tax provides about 10 percent of the state’s appropriation to higher education and helps support approximately 40,000 in-state students.

Montanans elected nine Native Americans to the state Legislature Tuesday. That’s the same as last session in 2017.

Updated at 12:30 p.m. BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana Democrat Jon Tester captured a third term in the U.S. Senate with an extremely narrow victory over an opponent President Donald Trump tried to boost by making repeated visits to the state.

Gallatin County election officials say long lines and delays in ballot delivery are putting a wrench in plans to count ballots this evening. At around 9:45 Tuesday night, Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder Charlotte Mills talked with Montana Public Radio’s Nick Mott about some of the challenges they’re facing.

MTPR reporters spent today talking to voters across western Montana. Nora Saks stopped by the Belgrade Events Center this afternoon where high school had just let out. Voting booths were set up in front of a trophy case and voters who had just cast their ballots shared what issues were on their mind.

Flathead County went big for Republicans two years ago, voting red for every statewide and federal office. But Flathead Democrats are pushing for a blue wave from local races to Montana’s lone U.S. House seat. This afternoon we sent Nicky Ouellet to hear what voters in the Flathead are thinking on election day.

Lewis and Clark County has more than 47,000 registered voters. It’s purple — in 2016 President Trump won the county, as did some of the biggest Republican names on the ballot. But Lewis and Clark also supported Democratic Governor Steve Bullock, and most of the Democrats running for statewide office. Our Capitol reporter Corin Cates-Carney spoke with voters at the Lewis and Clark county fairground this afternoon in Helena about what the big issues are for them in the midterm election.