FACTBOX: Montana and its presidential primary

(Reuters) - Montana will hold one of the final presidential primary contests on Tuesday to determine whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will face Republican John McCain in the November election.

Here are some facts about Montana:

* Polls close at 8 p.m. MDT/10 p.m. EDT, with results expected shortly after. Independents and registered Republicans can vote in the Democratic contest if they wish.

* Obama is favored to beat Clinton, though the state's 25 delegates are unlikely to affect the outcome of the Democratic primary contest.

* Montana is host to two competing political traditions. Labor unions in the western mining towns bred a suspicion of big business and made Montana one of the most Democratic states in the Rocky Mountain region for many years, while a suspicion of government interference has boosted Republicans, especially in the eastern plains.

* Montana's governor and two U.S. senators are Democrats. Still, Republican President George W. Bush carried the state by wide margins in 2000 and 2004 and it is not likely to be on Democrats' list of most important states to win in November.

SOURCES: Montana Secretary of State; National Association of Secretaries of State; Almanac of American Politics; New York Times

(Compiled by Andy Sullivan)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)