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Lea Whitford
Lea Whitford is a former Democratic member of the Montana State Senate, representing District 8 from 2015 to 2019.
Whitford did not seek re-election to the Montana State Senate in 2018.
Whitford served in the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 16 from 2013 to 2015.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Finance and Claims |
| • Highways and Transportation, Vice chair |
| • State Administration |
| • Education |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Whitford served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Business, Labor and Economic Affairs |
| • Highways and Transportation |
| • State Administration |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Whitford served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Natural Resources and Transportation |
Campaign themes
2012
Whitford's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[1]
Education:
Montana schools are facing higher student populations and shrinking budgets. It is imperative to provide our schools with adequate funding and resources so that our children can have the education they need.
Higher Education in Montana is also facing hard choices in providing instruction and career services at an affordable rate. As an educator I understand the need to find balance so that our success of the citizens of the State of Montana are at an all time high.
Economic Development:
Lea supports economic development; farming, ranching, oil and gas, or wind energy, however she wants to make sure the environment is protected. Their family has been ranching and in the ag business a long time, and believes it’s a good way to raise a family. She is grateful for these types of opportunities and wants to ensure the same opportunities are available for all Montanans. She is willing to work to ensure family farms and ranches are around for future generations.
Elders in Montana:
My parents are both retired and have worked the majority of their lives, they now live on fixed incomes a reality for many of our elders/seniors. It is important to me to know all elders/seniors are guaranteed access to affordable and quality health care and social services necessary for them to live a quality life.
Montana Women and Children:
I am running to ensure that women and children's issues are adequately represented; healthcare (Chip, Medicare and Medicaid) access to public education and public safety programs that will enhance their lives.
Sponsored legislation
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
2018
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2018
Lea Whitford did not file to run for re-election.
2014
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Montana State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was March 10, 2014; minor party and independent candidates had until June 2, 2014, to file. Lea Whitford was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Liane Johnson was unopposed in the Republican primary. Whitford defeated Johnson in the general election.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Lea Whitford |
67.7% | 2,713 | |
| Republican | Liane Johnson | 32.3% | 1,295 | |
| Total Votes | 4,008 | |||
2012
Whitford won election in the 2012 election for Montana House of Representatives, District 16. Whitford defeated Rodney Gervais in the June 5 primary election and defeated incumbent Lila Walter Evans (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lea Whitford |
66.8% | 1,934 | |
| Republican | Lila Evans Incumbent | 33.2% | 960 | |
| Total Votes | 2,894 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Lea Whitford |
82.1% | 866 |
| Rodney Gervais | 17.9% | 189 |
| Total Votes | 1,055 | |
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.
2018
In 2018, the Montana State Legislature did not hold a regular session.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 2 through April 28.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Montana State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 5 through April 28.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Montana State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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|
In 2013, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 7 to April 27.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Whitford is a member of the Blackfeet tribe. She has three children.[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Lea + Whitford + Montana + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Montana State Legislature
- Montana State Senate
- Montana Senate Committees
- Montana Joint Committees
- Montana state legislative districts
External links
- Office website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Committee to Elect Lea Whitford MT- HD-16, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Election Canvass," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2012 Legislative General Election Canvass," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2012 Legislative Primary Election Canvass," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Montana Contractors' Association, "Stronger Together: Political Representation," accessed November 5, 2015
- ↑ Montana Weed Control Association, "2013 Legislative Report & Scorecard," accessed September 17, 2014
- ↑ Committee to Elect Lea Whitford MT- HD-16, "About Lea," accessed October 12, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Shannon Augare (D) |
Montana State Senate District 8 2015–2019 |
Succeeded by Susan Webber (D) |
| Preceded by Lila Walter Evans (R) |
Montana House of Representatives District 16 2013–2015 |
Succeeded by Susan Webber (D) |
