Montana's 1st congressional district
Montana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 [United States census]. The first candidates ran in the 2022 [United States House of Representatives elections in Montana|2022 elections] for a seat in the 118th United States Congress.
This seat's current representative is Republican Ryan Zinke.
History
From 1913 to 1993, Montana had two congressional seats. From 1913 to 1919, those seats were elected statewide at-large on a general ticket. After 1919, however, the state was divided into geographical districts, with the 1st district covering the western part of the state, including Missoula, Great Falls, Butte, and Helena. After 1993, the was eliminated and the remaining seat was elected.Following the release of the 2020 United States census results, Montana was once again split into two congressional districts. The reconstituted 1st district covers the western third of the state, in a configuration similar to the 1983–1993 map. However, Helena was drawn into the reconstituted 2nd district.
The reconstituted 1st leans Republican, though not as overwhelmingly as the 2nd. Missoula, home of the University of Montana, and Butte are longstanding Democratic bastions, while Bozeman, home to Montana State University, is more of a swing area. The rural areas, especially the Flathead, are heavily Republican.
Recent election results from statewide races
Composition
The first district includes all of the following counties, with the exception of Pondera, which it shares with the 2nd. Pondera County communities in the 1st district include Birch Creek Colony, Dupuyer, Heart Butte, Kingsbury Colony, New Miami Colony, Pondera Colony, and Valier.| # | County | Seat | Population |
| 1 | Beaverhead | Dillon | 9,885 |
| 23 | Deer Lodge | Anaconda | 9,673 |
| 29 | Flathead | Kalispell | 113,679 |
| 31 | Gallatin | Bozeman | 126,409 |
| 35 | Glacier | Cut Bank | 13,609 |
| 39 | Granite | Philipsburg | 3,595 |
| 47 | Lake | Polson | 33,338 |
| 53 | Lincoln | Linn | 21,895 |
| 57 | Madison | Virginia City | 9,521 |
| 61 | Mineral | Superior | 5,090 |
| 63 | Missoula | Missoula | 121,849 |
| 73 | Pondera | Conrad | 6,125 |
| 77 | Powell | Deer Lodge | 7,133 |
| 81 | Ravalli | Hamilton | 47,738 |
| 89 | Sanders | Thompson Falls | 13,684 |
| 93 | Silver Bow | Butte | 36,360 |