A state of open spaces and big sky, Montana ranks fourth in size and only 44th in population with nearly 930,000 residents.
 Politically
speaking, Montana, which has a population of more than 90 percent
European descendents, has been a state known for cross-ticket
voters willing to make long-term shifts of control to both the
Democrats and the Republicans.
It was the first state to elect a woman to the U.S. Congress, Republican Jeannette Rankin in 1916, and was one of the first states to give women voting rights.
The Democratic Party, which dominated state politics in the 1970s but saw that power diminish in the 1980s and 1990s, is currently experiencing a renaissance after electing Brian Schweitzer governor in 2004 and gaining control of both state legislative chambers for the first time in more than a decade.
"We have more quality candidates stepping forward then ever before," Jim Farrell, executive director of Montana Democrats told the Associated Press. "This is a great time to be a Democrat in Montana."
Democrats this year have rallied behind Senate President Jon Tester, who is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns. A three-term incumbent, Burns is dogged by allegations of corruption stemming from his close ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Montana's other U.S. senator is Max Baucus, a Democrat first elected in 1978.
The state has one congressional district, currently held by Republican Denny Rehberg, a third-term representative expected to easily beat challenger Democratic state lawmaker Monica Lindeen.
On the national level, Montanans have supported Republican presidential candidates, with the exception of Bill Clinton in 1992, for the past 20 years. President Bush carried the state by over 20 points in 2004.
The state is often referred to as the Last Best Place, a reference from a 1988 anthology of Montana literature edited by William Kittredge and Annick Smith. The western state was first explored by Americans Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805 and became the 41st state on Nov. 8, 1889.
From its beginnings the state has been known for mineral mines, cattle ranches and wheat farms and for those who built and maintained the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads.
Although often thought of as an agricultural state, agriculture currently only accounts for 3.9 percent of its gross state product (GSP). However, this amount is comparable to other traditional agricultural states such as California or Texas. Top-earning industries in the state include the government at 16.7 percent GSP, real estate at 11.5 percent GSP, while mining, once a cornerstone of the state's economy, has fallen to 3 percent GSP.
A vast land with mountains in the west and plateaus and plains in the east, Montana is also home to three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park.
Those mountains and other natural resources have attracted a growing influx of tourists and outsiders moving to the state in the last 25 years, including movie stars and billionaires like Ted Turner. The population of the state grew 13 percent in the 1990s.
-- Compiled by Annie Schleicher for the Online NewsHour
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