June 3rd primaries included key U.S. Senate and U.S. House primaries in California, Montana and New Jersey. In a six-way race in Montana’s Republican U.S. Senate primary to face off against Democratic incumbent Max Baucus, Bob Kelleher, an 85-year-old perennial candidate who has run as a Green and a Democrat, received 36.3 percent of the vote to win. He is seen as more liberal than Baucus. See more on the election results here.

Maybe Montana Republicans are happy with this result. But nearly two-thirds voted for other candidates. If they want to ensure nominees reflect their majority views, they should take a look at instant runoff voting. One Republican ready to take that look is Tom McClintock, a state senator who on June 3rd won a hotly contested primary for a Republican-leanning open seat. Last year Sen. McClintock voted for a bill to allow more localities to used ranked voting systems and apparently grew interested in IRV during his run for governor in the recall election ultimately won by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Meanwhile, another IRV advocate, Congressman Robert Andrews, lost his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey. The big wins for IRV advocates this year of course have been in the presidential race: both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have been active backers of instant runoff voting.

Other posts by Rob Richie

• Founding FairVote backer and Cincinnati legend Harris Weston dies - July 4th, 2009
• Sarah Palin's resignation to reduce women governors to six - July 3rd, 2009
• Delaware house votes 2 to 1 for National Popular Vote - 29th chamber in 18th state - June 24th, 2009
• Obama's political team: Expediency over principle in "working" Electoral College rather than reforming it - June 21st, 2009
• Special interests upset with instant runoff voting in San Francisco - and broader lessons - June 21st, 2009
• FairVote chair Krist Novoselic makes key point about rights of association in candidacy - June 17th, 2009
• Brennan Center's new report on universal registration joins FairVote in highlighting Canadian model - June 16th, 2009
• Instant runoff voting in Australia: Guest blogger Ben Raue - June 16th, 2009
• Washington, D.C. City council has chance to make D.C. a "beacon of democracy" - June 13th, 2009
• Slamdunk win in Minnesota Supreme Court highlights big week for instant runoff voting - June 12th, 2009