Joel Krautter
Joel G. Krautter (Republican Party) was a member of the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 35. He assumed office on January 7, 2019. He left office on January 3, 2021.
Krautter (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Montana's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on June 4, 2024.
Biography
Joel Krautter grew up in Deer Lodge, Montana. He graduated from Powell County High School and earned a B.S. in government from Liberty University. Krautter also earned a J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law in 2014. His career experience includes working as a law firm partner at Netzer Law Office, P.C. Krautter serves as the president of the Northeast Montana Bar Association.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Krautter was assigned to the following committees:
Elections
2024
See also: Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)
Montana's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Montana District 2
Troy Downing defeated John B. Driscoll, Reilly Neill, and John Metzger in the general election for U.S. House Montana District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Troy Downing (R) | 65.7 | 181,832 |
 | John B. Driscoll (D) | 33.9 | 93,713 | |
 | Reilly Neill (D) (Write-in)  | 0.4 | 1,058 | |
 | John Metzger (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 40 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 9 | ||
| Total votes: 276,652 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
John B. Driscoll defeated Steve Held, Ming Cabrera, and Kevin Hamm in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John B. Driscoll | 33.3 | 13,420 |
 | Steve Held | 26.4 | 10,649 | |
 | Ming Cabrera | 20.9 | 8,408 | |
 | Kevin Hamm | 19.4 | 7,813 | |
| Total votes: 40,290 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Montana District 2 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Troy Downing | 36.1 | 36,269 |
 | Denny Rehberg | 17.1 | 17,182 | |
 | Stacy Zinn | 13.5 | 13,581 | |
 | Elsie Arntzen | 9.4 | 9,468 | |
 | Kenneth Bogner | 9.0 | 9,026 | |
 | Ric Holden | 7.1 | 7,108 | |
 | Joel G. Krautter | 3.4 | 3,432 | |
| Kyle Austin | 3.2 | 3,177 | ||
 | Edward Walker | 1.2 | 1,168 | |
| Total votes: 100,411 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Matt Rosendale (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Krautter in this election.
2020
See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Montana House of Representatives District 35
Brandon Ler won election in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 35 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brandon Ler (R) | 100.0 | 4,760 |
| Total votes: 4,760 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 35
Brandon Ler defeated incumbent Joel G. Krautter in the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 35 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brandon Ler | 52.6 | 1,457 |
| Joel G. Krautter | 47.4 | 1,313 | |
| Total votes: 2,770 | |||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for Montana House of Representatives District 35
Joel G. Krautter won election in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 35 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joel G. Krautter (R) | 100.0 | 3,688 |
| Total votes: 3,688 | |||
| = 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 35
Joel G. Krautter defeated Tanya Rost in the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 35 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joel G. Krautter | 53.9 | 1,140 |
| Tanya Rost | 46.1 | 975 | ||
| Total votes: 2,115 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Montana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 14, 2016.
Incumbent Scott Staffanson defeated Chris Trumpower in the Montana House of Representatives District 35 general election.[2][3]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 35 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Scott Staffanson Incumbent |
81.26% | 3,825 | |
| Democratic | Chris Trumpower | 18.74% | 882 | |
| Total Votes | 4,707 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Chris Trumpower ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 35 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Chris Trumpower (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Scott Staffanson defeated Joel Krautter in the Montana House of Representatives District 35 Republican primary.[6][7]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 35 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott Staffanson Incumbent |
59.98% | 1,127 | |
| Republican | Joel Krautter | 40.02% | 752 | |
| Total Votes | 1,879 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joel G. Krautter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Krautter’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Protecting Individual Rights and Liberties As an attorney, Joel Krautter understands that supporting and defending our constitutional rights and the Constitution is critical to living in a free society and preserving our way of life. Joel has a record of protecting our most cherished constitutional rights and freedoms, including 2nd Amendment rights, at the Montana Legislature. He will continue to protect, support and defend our constitutional rights as eastern and central Montana’s United States Congressman. Agriculture Joel understands that agriculture is at the heart of Montana’s economy and that when agriculture does well, Montana does well. As a state legislator, Joel has been recognized by farm and ranch organizations and agriculture producers across Montana as being a strong friend of the Montana agriculture community. In Congress, Joel will continue to be a strong advocate for Montana agriculture, whether that’s on investigating the meatpacking industry, supporting access to more international markets, or helping farmers and ranchers capture a larger share of the retail food dollar in local and regional markets, to name just a few areas he’s focused on. Fiscal Responsibility Joel believes in fiscal responsibility and that Washington cannot continue to run trillion-dollar deficits with no end in sight. Joel supported a balanced budget in the state legislature and would work in Washington to rein in out-of-control spending and balance the budget, while still meeting our needs and bringing more federal tax dollars home to Montana. Border Security and Public Safety Joel supports a secure U.S. border and believes it is both a matter of national security and public safety, given our Montana communities are being plagued by drug trafficking and fentanyl-related deaths. An unsecure border places a strain on local law enforcement and taxpayers. Joel will prioritize and support the funding and personnel needed to secure the border.[8] |
” |
| —Joel Krautter’s campaign website (2024)[9] | ||
2020
Joel G. Krautter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Krautter's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
An advocate for investing in infrastructure
- Excerpt: "Joel is commited to passing a responsible infrastructure package that will bring help for the many needs still facing communities in Richland County, such as roads and bridges, water treatment plants and sewage lagoons."
Strengthening agriculture
- Excerpt: "Joel will work with Richland County's local agriculture producers to strengthen Montana's agriculture industry wherever possible."
A force for veterans
- Excerpt: "Joel believes in supporting veterans who have made huge sacrifices so we can enjoy our liberties and will do what he can on the state level to advocate for the concerns and needs of veterans in Richland County and Montana."
Supporting the Second Amendment
- Excerpt: "As a sportsman, NRA member, and gun-owner, Joel understands and cherishes the freedom given by the Second Amendment."
Open and responsive communication
- Excerpt: "Too often politicians are elected and go to Helena and it's not long before they get caught up in climbing the leadership position ladder or listening to special interest groups, often at the expense of the very people who elected them. Joel will visit with anyone in his district and respond to those who contact him on issues."
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.
Scorecards
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.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Montana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Montana State Legislature was not in session.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 25.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House Montana District 2 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Joel Krautter for Congress, "MEET JOEL," accessed August 5, 2024
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Legislative General Election Canvass," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 primary election - June 7, 2016," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2016 primary election - June 7, 2016," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Joel Krautter for Congress, “ISSUES,” accessed August 5, 2024
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Montana House of Representatives District 35 2019-2021 |
Succeeded by Brandon Ler (R) |
