[FOX NEWS] - Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte wins re-election in Montana

[NewsBot]

The Fox News Decision Desk projects Gov. Greg Gianforte will win re-election in the Montana gubernatorial race, securing a second term in the Big Sky State seat.

Gianforte was first elected to serve as governor of Montana in 2020, flipping the seat red and ousting the Democrat who occupied the seat for several years.

Before becoming the state's 25th governor, Gianforte was a businessman and spent decades working in the private sector.

While most of Montana's statewide leadership are currently Republican, the state's governor's seat was occupied by a Democrat for nearly a decade before being flipped red in 2020 by Gianforte.

MONTANA SENATE RACE SHATTERS SPENDING RECORDS AT $309 PER REGISTERED VOTER

Gianforte defeated former senior firearms sales executive and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ryan Busse on Tuesday night.

Busse, who ran with lieutenant governor Raph Graybill, worked as sales executive of a major firearms company for 25 years, saying on his campaign site that he supports gun ownership, but "also saw how unchecked extremism risks all gun owners’ rights—and how that extremism could take away American freedoms and even jeopardize our democracy."

The Governor was backed by former President Donald Trump in his 2020 race, but has not yet received an endorsement from the 2024 GOP presidential nominee at this point in the race.