My impression is that for a frontier state, Montana has been pretty purplish at the state level, with a divide between rural areas and cities, but with the Democrat voting base further divided between a few true believers and college town denizens, and old-style conservative blue-collar Democrats. I think in 2010 we saw the first awakening of blue-collar Democrats, that the party they traditionally supported has been overrun by committed Leftists. I wouldn't be surprised if Montana is in the safe GOP column going forward.