Brian Close

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Brian Close
Image of Brian Close
Montana House of Representatives District 65
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

0

Compensation

Base salary

$104.86/legislative day

Per diem

$171/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Chicago, 1981

Graduate

Montana State University, 2001

Personal
Birthplace
Highland Park, Ill.
Profession
Tax attorney
Contact

Brian Close (Democratic Party) is a member of the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 65. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.

Close (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Montana House of Representatives to represent District 65. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Close completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian Close was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1981, a graduate degree in tax law from New York University Law School in 1988, and a graduate degree in history from Montana State University in 2001. His career experience includes working as a tax attorney. Close has served on the GALAVAN Board, the Bozeman City Study Commission, and the Bozeman Park & Recreation Board. He received an Intellectual Freedom Award from the Montana Library Association.[1]

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 65

Brian Close defeated Esther Fishbaugh in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brian Close
Brian Close (D) Candidate Connection
 
55.7
 
3,456
Image of Esther Fishbaugh
Esther Fishbaugh (R)
 
44.3
 
2,746

Total votes: 6,202
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65

Brian Close defeated Anja Wookey-Huffman in the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brian Close
Brian Close Candidate Connection
 
61.3
 
860
Image of Anja Wookey-Huffman
Anja Wookey-Huffman Candidate Connection
 
38.7
 
543

Total votes: 1,403
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65

Esther Fishbaugh advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Esther Fishbaugh
Esther Fishbaugh
 
100.0
 
1,030

Total votes: 1,030
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Close in this election.

2020

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Jim Hamilton won election in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 61 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Hamilton
Jim Hamilton (D)
 
100.0
 
6,200

Total votes: 6,200
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Jim Hamilton defeated Brian Close in the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 61 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Hamilton
Jim Hamilton
 
56.5
 
1,670
Image of Brian Close
Brian Close
 
43.5
 
1,286

Total votes: 2,956
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Brian Close completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Close's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My efforts in the Bozeman community have measurably improved public transportation, public health, good government, and public recreation.

Arriving in Bozeman in 1994 I joined the paratransit GALAVAN Board. I pushed through a senior transportation levy to ensure GALAVAN's continued service to seniors. I then was chair of Galavan from 1999 to 2003.

I then chaired a city task force that led to the creation of public transit in Bozeman.

I was a leader in the movement to make bars and restaurants smoke-free. The city commission adopted my strategy to make that happen.

In 2004 I was elected to the Bozeman City Study Commission. The result was the first successful city charter that passed in 2006. I fought for the charter provisions requiring that there be an ethics board and that everyone in city government receive annual ethics training.

As a member of the city planning board, I wrote the first light pollution ordinance adopted by a city in Montana.

I received an Intellectual Freedom Award from the Montana Library Association.

As Chairman of the Bozeman Park & Recreation Board, I led the effort to create the Bozeman Park District.

I attended the University of Chicago, received my Master in Tax Law from New York University, and a Master in History from Montana State University. I have been a practicing tax attorney 1987. I live in a union household with my lovely librarian wife, Beth Boyson, and my trusty dog, Sam.
  • Everyone has the right to their individual dignity. I support the LGBTQ+ community in their struggle for respect and dignity and have been serving the LGBTQ+ as an attorney since moving here in 1994. I will oppose any legislation that attacks people based on who they are, who they love, or what they believe. I support Reproductive Freedom, the Right to Privacy, and Personal Autonomy.
  • I support the bill to provide home care for seniors that the governor vetoed. Seniors should have the dignity to stay in their homes. We need stronger financial protections so that Seniors will not be exploited. In particular, we need to revise our laws on Guardians and Conservators so that they are properly trained, licensed, and audited. I support the proposal of democratic leadership to give an income tax credit to seniors and other fixed-income individuals to offset property tax increases.
  • Our teachers need our support, not threats or censorship! Our children are our future, and our schools should be fully funded and free from outside interference and bigotry. We need to protect the independence of our universities from any attempt to encroach on their rights.
Tax planning, education,local government operations, and protecting seniors
An elected official must genuinely represent the interest of his or her constituents and use his or her expertise to advance their agenda. Sometimes this means staking out a position and hanging tough. Sometimes this means compromsiing, even with the opposition. Sometimes this means filling the hearing room with angry citizens to apply maximum pressure. Sometimes this means a quiet word in a side alcove. The trick is to know when to apply each tactic.

In doing so, the elected official must never lose sight that the goal is to serve the interests of the constituents (even above that of the elected official)
Determination, intelligence, integrity and trustworthiness. A capacity to develop different strategies depending upon the situation. Looking at the long game as well as the immediate issue,
First, to be fully versed in the major issues that will come before the legislature in the next 90 day session.

Second, to communicate with constituents and to address their issues and individual concerns.

Third, to create a legislative agenda that can pass. Which means reaching out to opposition law makers when necessary, reaching out to affected interests for areas of potential compromise, lining up testimony, and relying on outside expertise. Every piece of legislation must have a legislative strategy for passage.
A more rational tax system; effective workforce housing; and better protected seniors and others needing protection
A governor who vetos a bill is a failure. The Governor must be involved during the legislative process so that bill issues can be addressed so he does not need to exercise his veto. Of course, this is part and parcel of the failure of the Gianforte adminstration on every issue he has touched, be it medicaid, property taxes, mental health, state hospital, etc.
Affordable housing; supporting schools; aging population demographics. These are all interelated moving parts. Fixing this will be like fixing a moving car. We need government intervention in workforce housing; we need new sources of revenue to address underfunded schools and underpaid teachers; and we need to address the issues facing the increasing senior population.
Definitely. "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" is a movie, not real life. Working with complex issues in a group setting on any level of government is good preparaton for the legislature (or so I hope).
One's word must be trusted, even when there are serious ideological differences. Much can be accomplished if there is trust and mutual respect within a caucus and with the opposition. Never leave someone to hang out to dry, tempting as it may be.
Mike Wheat, who succeeded in revamping the entire public defender system of this state while serving in the minority.
Literally, the first door I knocked on held a widow on fixed income who was considering selling her house because her property taxes had been doubled by the Repulican party.
This is a consttitutional issue I need to examine. I am sure procedures are in place, constittutionally or by legislation, as we only meet every two years for 90 days.
Revising the laws pertaining to Guaridans & Conservators. The current system was deisigned in the 19th century and is not protecting the interests of people who need protection.
Taxation, local government, Housing
All too often legislators are voting on their own interests with minimum or non-existent disclosure requirements and no mandatory recusals. We are doing an awful issue on policing this.

Open government laws need to be updated in Montana in recogniton of the electronic age
I support one person one vote, including for signature gatehring. Anything that deviates from that for the petition process betrays that fundamental principle of democrary. I will oppose any further restrictions on Montana's initiaive process and will support any measure that leads to more democracy.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Brian Close did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Brian Close campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Montana House of Representatives District 65Won general$23,326 $0
2020Montana House of Representatives District 61Lost primary$9,278 N/A**
Grand total$32,604 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Montana

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

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See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
-
Montana House of Representatives District 65
2025-Present
Succeeded by
-


Current members of the Montana House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Brandon Ler
Majority Leader:Steve Fitzpatrick
Minority Leader:Katie Sullivan
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Ed Byrne (R)
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Paul Tuss (D)
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Mike Fox (D)
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Marc Lee (D)
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SJ Howell (D)
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