Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte gives his inauguration address at the Montana State Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025. (Micah Drew/Daily Montanan).
Against a backdrop of freshly fallen snow and the words of Toby Keith’s “Made in America,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte descended the steps of the state capitol, hand in hand with his wife, Susan, to take the oath of office for his second term on Monday.
Along with the other statewide elected officials — all Republicans — Gianforte promised to dedicate his next four years to helping Montanans thrive and celebrated the power of his party in the state.
“As I take office for a second term today, I pledge not only to continue fighting for you, but also to share the lessons we’ve learned here with the rest of the country, because America needs more of what Montana has to offer,” said Gianforte, the first Republican governor to be reelected to a second term since 1996.
The governor’s inauguration address had a healthy dose of pomp and circumstance set in front of the state capitol — including a flyover from two helicopters — a big change from four years ago when Gianforte gave his first speech as governor with just his family in attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic-era restrictions on gatherings.
“Four years ago, when I took the oath of office, we faced uncertainty in the wake of the pandemic that had upended so many lives. Families grieved, businesses were shuttered, kids weren’t in the classroom, government mandates dictated our lives, our dreams, were put on hold, albeit temporarily,” Gianforte said. “But then something extraordinary happened. Montanans — true to our spirit — rose up. Together we unleashed freedom, we reopened our economy, and we proved that with determination, we can weather any storm. And we have emerged from the storm stronger than ever.”
Gianforte took time in his speech to criticize the Democratic Biden administration in Washington D.C. for an “irresponsible border policy,” which he said allowed fentanyl and crime to increase in the state, and for the federal government’s role in higher inflation, prices and cost of living which “have made it harder for Montana families to make ends meet.”
Despite these “headwinds from failed leadership,” Gianforte said that the Republican trifecta governing Montana had, during the previous four years, “enacted conservative reforms to unleash our economy and empower our workers. Now, Montana is a national leader.”
Gianforte, a lifelong businessman and multimillionaire who founded a Bozeman technology company, RightNow Technologies, with his wife, said that wages in the state have grown at the second-fastest rate in the country, a record number of Montanans are in the workforce, and his administration has expanded access to more than 100,000 acres of public land.
He said that his administration and the elected representatives for the state have a mandate to continue bringing Montanans a conservative vision centered on “family and community and our way of life.”
“On Election Day, Montanans endorsed this vision,” Gianforte said. “For the first time in nearly 130 years, Montanans have entrusted Republicans with every statewide office, both chambers of the legislature and every congressional seat. Ultimately, Montanans spoke loud and clear: They want leadership that delivers.”
Despite the Republican leadership mandate, Gianforte expressed a willingness to work with anyone, regardless of politics and party, to make Montana a better place.
“There is no monopoly on good ideas, Despite our divided politics, Montanans are united in the defense of this, the last best place,” he said. “I look forward to working with anyone, Democrat, Republican, Independent, who has a good idea. That’s what our United States is all about.”
The governor pledged to spend his second term in office fighting for his constituents by further reducing taxes, improving public safety, and by eliminating government overreach.
“The best of America, and the American dream, lives in Montana, and it’s here where we are proving what is possible when the government gets out of the way and empowers the people,” Gianforte said. “As I look across the crowd, I am reminded of something profound about Montana: America lives here. It lives in the hearts of each person who calls this place home. But Montana is more than a place — it’s a promise and a way of life. It’s where freedom rolls as wide as our skies, where opportunity is as vast as our planes, where resilience runs as deep as our rivers.”
Gianforte is again joined in his second term by Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Attorney General Austin Knudsen were also sworn into office for their second terms.
Montana Auditor James Brown took the oath of office for his first term, and Susie Hedalen was sworn in as Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Newly elected Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court Cory Swanson administered the oaths of office to the state’s elected officials.
“I look forward to seeing you lead the Montana Supreme Court with integrity, ensuring that our courts uphold the law and not political agendas,” Gianforte told the chief justice in his remarks. “Your dedication to our first principles gives us great confidence in the judiciary’s role in preserving liberty here in Montana.”
Republicans in the legislature have made judicial reform a foundational goal for the 69th legislative session which began this afternoon.
Montana Chamber of Commerce President Todd O’Hair served as master of ceremonies for the event.