Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte Wins GOP Primary, Will Face Democrat Ryan Busse in November

The governor faced rival Tanner Smith in the race to secure his party’s nomination ahead of the November gubernatorial elections.

Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) speaks on Capitol Hill, on Dec. 6, 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte won the Republican primary nomination in the state’s gubernatorial race on Tuesday after defeating his challenger, Lakeside Republican representative and business owner Tanner Smith.

Mr. Gianforte was leading Mr. Smith with 76.5 percent of the vote compared to 23.5 percent with 81 percent of the votes counted, as of late Tuesday, according to The Associated Press which called the race at 8:38 p.m.