Brian Schweitzer was elected governor in 2004, defeating Republican Bob Brown with 50 percent of the vote to Brown's 46 percent.

Schweitzer won re-election in 2008 with 65 percent of the vote, beating Republican state Sen. Roy Brown who only received 33 percent.

He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000, mounting a surprisingly strong challenge to Republican incumbent Conrad Burns. Schweitzer lost 51 percent to 47 percent in a three-way race.

(Last updated by Matt Gouras on March 18, 2009.)

Max Baucus was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, receiving 56 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Larry Williams, an investment adviser.

Baucus was re-elected in 1984, with 57 percent of the vote, beating Republican Chuck Cozzens, a businessman.

In 1990, Baucus was elected to a third term when he drew 70 percent of the vote to defeat then-Lt. Gov. Allen Kolstad and in 1996 Baucus was re-elected with 50 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Dennis Rehberg, now a member of the House from Montana.

Baucus was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 with 63 percent of the vote and defeated Republican Bob Kelleher in 2008 with 73 percent of the vote.

Baucus served in the Montana House from 1973 to 1974.

Baucus was elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and re-elected in 1976.

(Last updated by Matthew Daly on April 3, 2009.)

Jon Tester narrowly defeated Sen. Conrad Burns, one of five Republicans ousted in the November 2006 elections which handed control of the Senate to Democrats that year.

Burns was a three-term incumbent and his relationships with lobbyists were a key issue in his campaign against Tester. Burns was part of a Department of Justice investigation of jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff during the campaign, and Democrats used the issue against him. In January 2008, the government said Burns was no longer part of the probe.

During the campaign, Tester touted his populist message. He hammered multinational corporations, tied Burns to big oil, decried no-bid contracts given to companies with well-heeled lobbyists and mocked Republican tax cuts he says help the likes of "Paris Hilton and her type." He also reached out to fiscal conservatives by denouncing the ballooning federal deficit.

Tester took 49.2 percent of the vote over Burns' 48.3 percent.

He was first elected to the Montana state Senate in 1999 and served as minority whip, minority leader and Senate president.

(Last updated by Matt Gouras on March 18, 2009.)