Ray Shaw

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ray Shaw

Republican Party

Prior offices:

Montana House of Representatives District 71

Years in office: 2013 - 2021

Successor: Kenneth Walsh (R)

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 4, 2024

Personal

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Ray Shaw (Republican Party) was a member of the Montana House of Representatives, representing District 71. He assumed office on January 7, 2013. He left office on January 3, 2021.

Shaw (Republican Party) ran for election to the Montana State Senate to represent District 35. He lost in the Republican primary on June 4, 2024.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Shaw was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture Committee, Chair
• House State Administration Committee

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Shaw served on the following committees:

Montana committee assignments, 2015
• Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• Natural Resources
• State Administration

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Shaw was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture Committee, Chair
• House State Administration Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Montana committee assignments, 2017
• Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• State Administration
• Transportation

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Shaw served on the following committees:

Montana committee assignments, 2013
• Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• Natural Resources
• State Administration

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

2024

See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Montana State Senate District 35

Tony Tezak won election in the general election for Montana State Senate District 35 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tony Tezak (R)	100.0	11,666

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,666
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 35

Tony Tezak defeated Ray Shaw and Mark McGinley in the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 35 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tony Tezak	39.4	2,260
		Ray Shaw	38.7	2,223
		Mark McGinley	21.9	1,256

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,739
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Shaw in this election.

2020

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020

Ray Shaw was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

2018

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 71

Incumbent Ray Shaw defeated Jay Frederick and Michael White in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 71 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ray Shaw (R)	57.9	3,662
	Submit photo	Jay Frederick (D)	28.8	1,819
	Submit photo	Michael White (L)	13.3	844

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,325
= 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 71

Jay Frederick advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 71 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jay Frederick	100.0	952

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 952
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 71

Incumbent Ray Shaw advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 71 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ray Shaw	100.0	1,814

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,814
= 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

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 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 Ray Shaw ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 71 general election.

Montana House of Representatives, District 71 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Ray Shaw Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Montana Secretary of State

Incumbent Ray Shaw defeated Robert Wagner in the Montana House of Representatives District 71 Republican primary.

Montana House of Representatives, District 71 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ray Shaw Incumbent	60.67%	1,490
	Republican	Robert Wagner	39.33%	966
Total Votes				2,456
Source: Montana Secretary of State

2014

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Montana House of Representatives 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 candidates wishing to run in this election was March 10, 2014; minor party and independent candidates had until June 2, 2014, to file. Johanna Lester was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Ray Shaw defeated Bob Wagner in the Republican primary. Shaw defeated Lester in the general election.

Montana House of Representatives, District 71 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ray Shaw Incumbent	73.9%	3,385
	Democratic	Johanna Lester	26.1%	1,196
Total Votes				4,581

Montana House of Representatives, District 71 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ray Shaw Incumbent	59.3%	1,307
Bob Wagner	40.7%	897
Total Votes		2,204

2012

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2012

Shaw won election in the 2012 election for Montana House of Representatives, District 71. Shaw defeated Robert Kennedy and incumbent Bob Wagner in the June 5 primary election and defeated Kim Miller (I) and write-in candidate Donald J. Lepinsky in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.

Montana House of Representatives, District 71, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ray Shaw	56.9%	3,311
	Independent	Kim Miller	42.7%	2,481
	Independent	Donald Lepinsky	0.4%	24
Total Votes				5,816

Montana House of Representatives, District 71 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ray L. Shaw	45.9%	1,040
Bob Wagner Incumbent	43.8%	992
Robert Kennedy	10.3%	233
Total Votes		2,265

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ray Shaw did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

In a biography on the Montana Republican Party's website, Shaw highlighted the following campaign themes:

Beliefs that are important to me are serving the people of HD71 with a common sense approach. Private property rights, second amendment rights, and significantly decreasing our wolf population are very important to me along with supporting our youth and education.

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Ray Shaw campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Montana State Senate District 35	Lost primary	$19,062	$0
2018	Montana House of Representatives District 71	Won general	$6,991	N/A**
2016	Montana House of Representatives, District 71	Won	$8,733	N/A**
2014	Montana House of Representatives, District 71	Won	$5,173	N/A**
2012	Montana House, District 71	Won	$12,770	N/A**
2010	Montana House, District 71	Lost	$9,820	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, 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.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013

In 2020, the Montana State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Montana State Legislature in 2019.

• Americans for Prosperity - Montana — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Montana AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
• Montana Audubon — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
• Montana Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on economic issues.
• Montana Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
• Montana Environmental Information Center — Legislators are scored on bills related to the environment.
• Montana Farm Bureau Federation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture.
• Montana Human Rights Network — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
• Montana Public Interest Research Group — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
• Montana Sportsmen Alliance — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
• The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
• United Property Owners of Montana — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to property owners' interests.

In 2018, the Montana State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Montana State Legislature in 2017.

• Americans for Prosperity - Montana — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Lewistown Tea Party — Republican legislators are scored on whether they vote with the Republican Party.
• Montana AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
• Montana Audubon — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
• Montana Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on economic issues.
• Montana Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
• Montana Contractors' Association — Legislators are scored on their votes on issues pertaining to the interests of the construction industry.
• Montana Environmental Information Center — Legislators are scored on bills related to the environment.
• Montana Farm Bureau Federation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture.
• Montana Human Rights Network — Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
• Montana Sportsmen Alliance — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
• The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
• United Property Owners of Montana — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to property owners' interests.

In 2016, the Montana State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Montana State Legislature in 2015.

• Americans for Prosperity - Montana — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Lewistown Tea Party — Republican legislators are scored on whether they vote with the Republican Party.
• MEA-MFT — Legislators are scored on bills deemed important by MEA-MFT to the state teachers' union.
• Montana Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business and economic issues.
• Montana Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on bills relating to conservation and the environment.
• Montana Family Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against Montana Family Foundation's position.
• Montana Sportsmen Alliance — Legislators are scored on bills relating to public land management and wildlife issues.
• NARAL Pro-Choice Montana — Legislators are scored on bills relating to reproductive health issues.
• Northern Plains Resource Council — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental conservation.
• The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
• United Property Owners of Montana — Legislators are scored on bills relating to property rights.

In 2014, the Montana State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Montana State Legislature in 2013.

• Lewistown Tea Party — Republican legislators are scored on whether they vote with the Republican Party.
• MEA-MFT — Legislators are scored on bills deemed important by MEA-MFT to the state teachers' union.
• Montana Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business and economic issues.
• Montana Conservation Voters — Legislators are scored on conservative and environmental issues.
• Montana Contractors' Association — Legislators are scored by the Montana Contractors' Association on their votes on "environmental legislation, worker’s comp issues, repressive labor legislation and unfair business and employment practices."
• Montana Environmental Information Center — Legislators are scored on bills related to the environment.
• Montana Family Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against Montana Family Foundation's position.
• Montana Public Interest Research Group — Legislators are scored by MontPIRG on their votes on "issues that best advance the public interest here in our state."
• Montana Weed Control Association — Legislators are scored on bills relating to noxious weed management in Montana.
• NARAL Pro-Choice Montana — Legislators are scored on bills relating to reproductive health issues.
• Northern Plains Resource Council — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental conservation.
• United Property Owners of Montana — Legislators are scored on bills relating to property rights.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Montana State Senate District 35

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Robert Wagner (R)	Montana House of Representatives District 71 2013–2021	Succeeded by Kenneth Walsh (R)

[show]

Current members of the Montana House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Brandon Ler

Majority Leader:Steve Fitzpatrick

Minority Leader:Katie Sullivan

Representatives

District 1

Neil Duram (R)

District 2

Tom Millett (R)

District 3

Debo Powers (D)

District 4

Lyn Bennett (R)

District 5

Braxton Mitchell (R)

District 6

Amy Regier (R)

District 7

Courtenay Sprunger (R)

District 8

Lukas Schubert (R)

District 9

Steven Kelly (R)

District 10

Terry Falk (R)

District 11

Ed Byrne (R)

District 12

Tracy Sharp (R)

District 13

Linda Reksten (R)

District 14

Paul Fielder (R)

District 15

Thedis Crowe (D)

District 16

Tyson Running Wolf (D)

District 17

Zachary Wirth (R)

District 18

Llew Jones (R)

District 19

Jane Weber (D)

District 20

Melissa Nikolakakos (R)

District 21

Edward Buttrey (R)

District 22

George Nikolakakos (R)

District 23

Eric Tilleman (R)

District 24

Steve Fitzpatrick (R)

District 25

Steve Gist (R)

District 26

Russ Miner (R)

District 27

Paul Tuss (D)

District 28

Eric Albus (R)

District 29

Valerie Moore (R)

District 30

Morgan Thiel (R)

District 31

Frank Smith (D)

District 32

Mike Fox (D)

District 33

Brandon Ler (R)

District 34

Jerry Schillinger (R)

District 35

Gary Parry (R)

District 36

Greg Kmetz (R)

District 37

Shane Klakken (R)

District 38

Greg Oblander (R)

District 39

Kerri Seekins-Crowe (R)

District 40

Mike Vinton (R)

District 41

Jade Sooktis (D)

District 42

Sidney Fitzpatrick (D)

District 43

Larry Brewster (R)

District 44

Katie Zolnikov (R)

District 45

Denise Baum (D)

District 46

Denise Joy (D)

District 47

James Reavis (D)

District 48

Curtis Schomer (R)

District 49

Sherry Essmann (R)

District 50

Anthony Nicastro (R)

District 51

Jodee Etchart (R)

District 52

Stacy Zinn (R)

District 53

Nelly Nicol (R)

District 54

Lee Deming (R)

District 55

Brad Barker (R)

District 56

Fiona Nave (R)

District 57

Scott Rosenzweig (D)

District 58

Jamie Isaly (D)

District 59

Katie Fire Thunder (D)

District 60

Alanah Griffith (D)

District 61

Becky Edwards (D)

District 62

Josh Seckinger (D)

District 63

Peter Strand (D)

District 64

Kelly Kortum (D)

District 65

Brian Close (D)

District 66

Eric Matthews (D)

District 67

Jedediah Hinkle (R)

District 68

Caleb Hinkle (R)

District 69

Kenneth Walsh (R)

District 70

Shannon Maness (R)

District 71

Scott DeMarois (D)

District 72

Donavon Hawk (D)

District 73

Jennifer Lynch (D)

District 74

Marc Lee (D)

District 75

Mark Reinschmidt (R)

District 76

John Fitzpatrick (R)

District 77

Jane Gillette (R)

District 78

Randyn Gregg (R)

District 79

Luke Muszkiewicz (D)

District 80

Melissa Romano (D)

District 81

Mary Caferro (D)

District 82

Pete Elverum (D)

District 83

Jill Cohenour (D)

District 84

Julie Darling (R)

District 85

Kathy Love (R)

District 86

David Bedey (R)

District 87

Terry Nelson (R)

District 88

Greg Overstreet (R)

District 89

Mark Thane (D)

District 90

Curtis Cochran (R)

District 91

Shelly Fyant (D)

District 92

Connie Keogh (D)

District 93

Katie Sullivan (D)

District 94

Marilyn Marler (D)

District 95

Zooey Zephyr (D)

District 96

Bob Carter (D)

District 97

Melody Cunningham (D)

District 98

Jonathan Karlen (D)

District 99

Tom France (D)

District 100

SJ Howell (D)

Republican Party (58)

Democratic Party (42)