Amy Eddy defeats Dan Wilson for Montana Supreme Court seat

Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy has won a seat on the Montana Supreme Court, defeating fellow District Court Judge Dan Wilson in a race marked by disagreements over the role of partisan politics in judicial elections and millions in outside spending.

As of 11:40 p.m., the Associated Press had Eddy with 61.3% of the vote to Wilson’s 38.7%, with an estimated 75% of the votes counted.

The winner will replace Associate Justice Beth Baker, who has served on the state’s highest court since 2011, for an eight-year term. 

The contest pitted two sitting judges from the same judicial district against one another.

Eddy’s victory extends a winning streak for women seeking seats on Montana’s highest court. No woman has lost a contested general election for the Montana Supreme Court since 2016, when Dirk Sandefur defeated Kristen Juras. Women have now won four consecutive contested races in which they appeared, including Katherine Bidegaray’s 2024 victory over Wilson.

Although Montana’s judicial elections are officially nonpartisan, the candidates took different approaches to political involvement in their campaigns. Wilson received the endorsements and financial backing of the Montana Republican Party and spoke at Republican events, while Eddy promoted independence from political parties as a judicial virtue.

Wilson, who was elected a Flathead County District Court Judge in 2016 and ran unsuccessfully for the state Supreme Court in 2024 against Katherine Bidergaray, has criticized what he characterizes as a leftward tilt on the court. He has said he would apply the law and the state Constitution as written, regardless of political considerations.

Eddy, who has served on the Flathead County District Court since 2015, campaigned on maintaining a nonpartisan judiciary. Although she declined direct contributions from political parties, she received support from liberal-coded labor unions, conservation organizations and individuals with ties to both major parties.

The 2026 election is the first Supreme Court contest since the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed House Bill 39 during the 2025 session, allowing political parties to contribute directly to judicial candidates. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Tom Millet, R-Marion, was among a series of Republican-backed proposals aimed at changing Montana’s judiciary.

Wilson received $20,000 from the Montana Republican Party and additional contributions from county Republican committees. 

Each candidate maintained that their experience as judges would guide their decisions on the Supreme Court, regardless of their supporters.

The race also attracted millions in outside spending. According to estimates compiled by the nonprofit election watchdog Brennan Center for Justice, nearly $2.9 million had been spent on television advertising on the race as of Nov. 2, with $2.3 million coming from just three outside groups. The two candidates’ campaigns accounted for the remainder, an estimated $616,000 in television spending.

The largest outside spender, Montanans for Freedom and Responsibility, accounted for nearly $1.5 million in television ads targeting Wilson. More Jobs Less Government spent an estimated $461,000 on ads criticizing Eddy, while Justice Watch spent about $335,000 on ads criticizing Wilson.

The debate about partisanship extended beyond the race to a different line on the ballot. Voters considered Constitutional Initiative 132, which would add a requirement to the state Constitution that judicial elections remain nonpartisan. Montana has held nonpartisan judicial elections for decades, but the requirement exists in state law, which lawmakers can change without voter approval. 

The Associated Press has called a victory for CI-132 at about 11:40 p.m. with 69.5% of the “yes” vote and an estimated 72% of the votes counted.