Montana, Republican Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana is running for reelection. Under his watch, income taxes for individuals fell while property taxes for homes rose. The announcement was made by Gianforte on Tuesday, and he named Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras as his running companion.
State debt was paid off, top income tax rate was decreased, and up to $1,250 in one-time refunds to individual income taxpayers were granted under Gianforte's administration, thanks to the unprecedented budget surplus that followed federal stimulus spending in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to federal labor data, the state has had record low unemployment and 40,000 more jobs in his first three years in office, which is 30,000 more than pre-pandemic levels.
Home values rose in response to rising demand, which led to a rise in property taxes. Those who were against the hike felt that Gianforte and the Republican-controlled legislature hadn't done enough to stop it.
In 2023 and 2024, homeowners who are residents of the state might get a property tax rebate of up to $675. Gianforte subsequently stated that this sum would cover most people's property tax hikes until the 2025 Legislature finds a solution.
For Gianforte, "there's still work to do, as we build on what we've done" was the message he delivered. He sincerely begged for your support to serve another term, saying, "Serving as governor has been the honor of my life."
In his campaign for the Democratic candidacy for governor, Ryan Busse, a former guns entrepreneur from Kalispell, claimed that Gianforte was "just another typical politician who stuck Montanans with a record tax hike so that he could give tax cuts to the wealthy."
Busse and the Democratic Party of Montana chastised Gianforte for endorsing anti-abortion bills. Legal action is underway to contest those statutes.