Swanson, Bidegaray win races for Montana Supreme Court vacancies • Daily Montanan

Broadwater District Attorney Cory Swanson will lead a district and become chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, while District Judge Katherine Bidegaray will replace outgoing Judge Dirk Sandefur on the state's highest court.

The Associated Press called both races just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.

In the race to succeed retiring Montana Chief Justice Mike McGrath, Cory Swanson took a lead over Jeremiah Lynch early Wednesday morning and maintained it. Swanson received 272,969 votes to Lynch's 229,953 votes.

“Many thanks to all Montanans who supported us and made this victory possible! “I will work every day to reward your trust by making fair and impartial judicial decisions and eliminating partisanship from the judiciary,” Swanson wrote in a post on Facebook.

For Montana Supreme Court Place 3: Katherine Bidegaray defended her lead, which she had held almost as soon as the results came in. Bidegaray had 270,456 votes to District Judge Dan Wilson's 234,771 votes.

There are seven seats on the Montana Supreme Court, including Chief Justice. All positions on the state's highest court and only the Court of Appeals are elected statewide, not by district, and are nonpartisan.

Both races are for open seats without an incumbent.

The Chief Justice serves for eight years and serves as the chief administrator of the state's highest court. Lynch is a former U.S. federal judge who served in the role for 28 years, while Swanson was elected Broadwater County attorney in 2014, a position he still holds.

Bidegaray currently sits on the Seventh Circuit bench Dawson, McCone, Prairie, Wibaux and Richland counties. Since 2003, she has been elected district court judge four times.

Wilson is a former prosecutor who has served as a Flathead District Court judge for 12 years.