Ryegate, MT is a small town in Montana with a population of about 350 people. The politics in Ryegate are largely shaped by the small population and close-knit community. Local elections are typically decided by a few dozen votes, making each vote count for a significant amount. There are generally two or three different candidates running in any given election, but the local discussion surrounding the different election issues and candidates is often more passionate and involved than much larger towns and cities. All politicians in Ryegate must work hard to understand the needs of their constituents in order to earn their support, emphasizing personal relationships over flashy promises or campaign tactics. It is apparent that politics in Ryegate reflects this small-town charm and tight-knit community, which adds an important layer of engagement to local politics.
The political climate in Ryegate, MT is strongly conservative.
Golden Valley County, MT is very conservative. In Golden Valley County, MT 15.5% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 82.3% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.2% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Golden Valley county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 82.3% to 15.5%.
Golden Valley county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Ryegate, MT is strongly conservative.
Golden Valley County, Montana is very conservative.
Billings Metro Area is strongly conservative.
Montana is moderately conservative.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Ryegate, Montana: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Ryegate, MT
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 14 contributions totaling $1,073 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $77 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 5 contributions totaling $425 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $85 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)