The Big Sky State was one of the most Democratic for many years, with its strong heritage of mining and labor unions. From 1952 to 1984 Montana voters elected only Democratic U.S. senators. But since the 1990s, a more conservative mind-set that opposes higher taxes and federal rules has taken hold. President Bush carried the state in 2004. However, Democrats have been buoyed by their successes on the state level: Montana voters elected a Democratic governor and a Democrat-controlled state legislature in 2004.