HELENA — Republican Elsie Arntzen defeated Democrat Melissa Romano in a rematch of the 2016 superintendent race.
Romano conceded the race Wednesday morning. Arntzen lead Romano by about eight points with more 68 percent of the vote counted.
Arntzen worked as a teacher for more than 20 years and served as a state legislator from Billings. She has served as superintendent since 2017.
Romano is a Helena-area teacher. She was named Montana’s state Teacher of the Year for 2018.
In a statement, Romano said, "I first want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who believed in this campaign - many of you have been with us for the last five years, and your support means the world to me. This campaign was about giving a voice to Montana families who believe in quality public education. I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish. Montanans are demanding more of my opponent, and I hope she takes our message to heart.”
As of 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Arntzen or her campaign had not released a statement. We will update you when we hear from her campaign.
