The 1944 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1944. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam C. Ford, who was first elected Governor in 1940, ran for re-election. He won the Republican primary and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Leif Erickson, a former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Democratic nominee. Although then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford defeated Erickson by a wide margin to win his second and final term as governor. This election is the first time that an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected or won re-election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Leif Erickson, former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
- Austin B. Middleton, chairman of the Montana Railroad and Public Service Commission
- Roy E. Ayers, former Governor of Montana
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
- Sam C. Ford, incumbent Governor of Montana
- Jacob Thorkelson, former United States Congressman from Montana's 1st congressional district
Results
General election
Results
References
