Shannon O'Brien (Montana)

Shannon O'Brien

Democratic Party

Democratic Party of Montana Chair

Tenure

2025 - Present

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Robyn Driscoll

Prior offices

Montana State Senate District 46

Predecessor: Sue Malek

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Appointed

September 14, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of Washington, 1991

Graduate

Gonzaga University

Ph.D

University of Montana, 2013

Medical

Gonzaga University, 1994

Other

University of Montana

Personal

Birthplace

Beaverton, Ore.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Shannon O'Brien (Democratic Party) is an officeholder of the Democratic Party of Montana Chair. She assumed office on September 14, 2025.

O'Brien (Democratic Party) ran for election for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Shannon O'Brien was born in Portland, Oregon. O'Brien obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1991, a master's degree from Gonzaga University, and an Ed.D. from the University of Montana. Her career experience includes working as a high school teacher, high school coach, college access specialist, governor education policy advisor, and dean of Missoula College.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

O'Brien was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee
• Education and Cultural Resources Committee
• Senate Ethics Committee
• Senate Legislative Administration Committee
• Senate Rules Committee
• Senate Taxation Committee, Vice Chair

2021-2022

O'Brien was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee
• Education and Cultural Resources Committee
• Senate Taxation Committee

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 Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2024

General election

General election for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction

Susie Hedalen defeated Shannon O'Brien in the general election for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susie Hedalen (R)	59.3	348,360
		Shannon O'Brien (D)	40.7	238,880

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 587,240
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction

Shannon O'Brien advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shannon O'Brien	100.0	94,474

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,474
= 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 Superintendent of Public Instruction

Susie Hedalen defeated Sharyl Allen in the Republican primary for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susie Hedalen	62.3	99,717
		Sharyl Allen	37.7	60,352

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 160,069
= 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 O'Brien in this election.

2020

See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Montana State Senate District 46

Shannon O'Brien defeated Niki Sardot in the general election for Montana State Senate District 46 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shannon O'Brien (D)	66.1	8,362
		Niki Sardot (R)	33.9	4,296

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,658
= 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 State Senate District 46

Shannon O'Brien defeated Alex Gray in the Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 46 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shannon O'Brien	68.2	3,519
		Alex Gray	31.8	1,644

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,163
= 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 State Senate District 46

Niki Sardot advanced from the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 46 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Niki Sardot	100.0	2,126

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,126
= 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

To view O'Brien's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 30, 2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Started my career as a high school social studies teacher and basketball coach. Went on to serve as the education policy advisor to Governor Steve Bullock. Became the Dean of the Missoula College in Missoula Montana working with non-traditional students. Am presently a Montana State Senator in a leadership role. For ten years I helped young people who came from low-income, first generation college or ethnic minority backgrounds have access to college. I have degrees in political science, teaching, and educational leadership from the University of Washington (BA), Gonzaga (Masters) and UM (Ed.D.). My husband Chuck and I are proud parents of one son who is in high school in Missoula Montana.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fix the teacher shortage crisis in our state and pay our teachers
• Safe schools for our children with a quality teacher in the classroom
• Rebuild the Office of Public Instruction and support school districts and educators in every community

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Investing in our students is the wisest long-term investment of our taxpayer dollars. When education is prioritized the outcome is a strong workforce and a bright future for students. In order to do that, we must address the teacher shortage crisis head-on. Last fall, there were over 1,000 vacancies statewide which is simply unacceptable. Montana is 51st in the nation for starting teacher salaries with some districts offering less than $28,000/year salary. Housing is impossible for so many in the state, including teachers.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Montana’s State Constitution requires that every child receive a quality public education.This office plays a critical role in ensuring that all children have the opportunity to realize their full potential and achieve their goals of a good job, a college education or service in our military.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Effective and competent leadership matters, regardless of the position. Strong leaders listen carefully to all people, provide a clear vision and support their team to fulfill that vision and serve the public. Additionally, leaders need to build relationships with all others regardless of their party affiliation. I believe it’s important to build relationships of trust, find common ground and then get to work identifying the real problems and building solutions.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Over the last 10 years I have traveled the State of Montana meeting with students, parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders and other education policy makers. I have seen the amazing work of our teachers first-hand, heard parents stories of pride and concern about their children’s future. Hearing the financial struggles that school superintendents face to keep their teachers paid a living wage, retaining good teachers and maintaining school buildings to keep our children safe often seem insurmountable. My husband and I have a son in high school, so as a mom I know first hand the life of parenting.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction must prioritize students, teachers, families and communities. We must leave politics out of our classrooms. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) must rebuild strong working relationships with school superintendents and support their needs. Teacher’s must be supported as they meet the challenges to help every child succeed.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Problem solving through collaboration and relationships with other policy makers. Right now, we have a teacher shortage crisis and a mental health crisis for our youth. Both of those problems can be solved by bringing legislators and other stakeholders together to find solutions.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The State Superintendent obligation is to set funding priorities and advance policy that supports quality education for every student. It is paramount that the Superintendent have a strong working relationship with the Board of Public Education, legislators, local school districts and teacher organizations to advance those funding and policy priorities. Kindergarten readiness and early learning is a critical area that could move the dial for success for children. If students enter kindergarten ready to learn, they are significantly more likely to be successful later in life. The State Superintendent is one of the five constitutional officers that oversee our state lands. Resources that are generated from the leasing of our state lands go directly to our public schools. Managing those lands in a fair and responsible way for the long term sustainability of access and revenue is paramount.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Montana Federation of Public Employees

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We work for the people of Montana and are the stewards of taxpayer dollars. It is essential that we are transparent. It is imperative that we follow the law, are responsive to the needs of our constituents and ensure that our public schools remain strong. Currently we are seeing a deliberate attack on public education and an effort to divert taxpayer money to fund private religious schools. This will certainly have a negative impact on our local public schools which are the very backbone of our communities. We must fight for our public schools and protect each child’s fair shot at a bright future.

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

Shannon O'Brien completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by O'Brien's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Shannon O'Brien, Ed.D. has been in the field of education in both formal and informal settings for over 25 years. She has taught at the high school and college levels and more recently, as policy advisor to Governor Steve Bullock, she worked on issues and collaboration efforts ranging from early childhood learning to workforce training and economic development. Shannon was part of identifying and defining real problems in policy and finding solutions that work. Shannon has served as chair and vice chair of her local democratic party, and volunteered on numerous campaigns, including her own when she was elected at the county level.

Shannon earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana, where she later returned to serve as dean of Missoula College. While in this role, she lead the development of an elaborate apprenticeship program through careful work between higher education and private industry.

Shannon completed coursework in the Danforth Educational Leadership Program at the University of Washington. She earned a master's degree from Gonzaga University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington. She worked in early college and college access, supporting families of low income and ethnic minorities in North Carolina and with the Lummi Nation in Washington State.

Shannon lives with her husband, Chuck Dumke, a professor and their son Carter, age 11.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• With over 25 years in public education and education advocacy, Shannon has the experience to get things done in Helena.
• Shannon has the courage to tackle the tough issues like climate crisis.
• Building consensus for solutions

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Did you know that $1 invested in high quality early learning equals at minimum $7 down the road when you consider incarceration, special education, healthcare and other factors? Did you know that Montana is one of only 5 states that does not invest in high quality pre-school/early learning? If we are to be responsible stewards of taxpayer funds, we must invest in high quality early learning to solve the climate crisis, housing and unemployment, poverty, and healthcare issues.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mom is a retired school teacher and principal. She taught me to work hard, see the good in all people and listen to their perspectives, fears and thoughts. She loved her job, and she appreciated the problems that were brought to her attention, not as annoyances, but as opportunities to make things better for other people.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I studied educational leadership, so I have lots of favorite authors, but a few are: Steven Covey, Patrick Lencioni, and Don Miguel Ruiz, Richard Rohr and Mother Theresa

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Humility.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A state senator needs to be constantly in touch with the constituents, to understand the pulse of them. I think it's easy to assume you understand what's going on in your district, when in fact, people's reality is often quite different. I also think it's important to listen carefully to ideas and problems and be open to finding solutions. Lastly, I think it is critical to understand that in order to be effective during the legislative session, one must constantly be prioritizing time and effort. It is easy to get distracted by other issues that are not priorities.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

There were a number of events that I remember clearly, but the highest impact was when I had the chance to break down my small chunk of the Berlin Wall in 1989, just three weeks after it opened up. I was only 21 years old, but I new there was an amazing shift taking place in history at that moment.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My dad owned a small sporting goods store in the small town where I grew up. I worked there selling t-shirts to the tourists and tennis shoes and other supplies to the locals. I learned at age 14 the simple concept of capitalism and free enterprise, selling items to make a living. I worked in that store for many years.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The Joke, Brandi Carlisle

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't think previous experience is necessary. I think that work get's done for the people when we all can put our egos aside, build relationships of trust, set aside our differences and get to work. I think we are more alike than we are different, and we need to look for the similarities in each other.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

The economy and the climate crisis are our two most acute issues, but the greatest challenge is the great divide that is growing between Republicans and Democrats. We are more alike than we are different, that having been said, we live in a country that we are allowed the freedom to have differing opinions on certain issues. Our constitution is established to manage this conflict. We must work together to identify and solve the problems.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Life is based on relationships. We need to work together to get the work of the people done.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

My background is in education.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I will serve wherever my colleagues see is the best fit. I do see myself as a consensus builder.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I have learned a great deal from Carol Williams and Sue Malek, both whom served in Montana Senate District 46. I

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Childcare providers and teachers are overwhelmed by the amount of work they need to do. I recently spoke with a in-home childcare owner whose business was significantly impacted by the COVID 19, she went from 12 children to 3 children of healthcare workers. She was worried about paying her mortgage, because her revenue dropped dramatically.

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.

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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Shannon O'Brien campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction	Lost general	$609,367	$0
2020	Montana State Senate District 46	Won general	$33,146	N/A**
Grand total			$642,513	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal 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.

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.

2024

In 2024, the Montana State Legislature was not in session.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 2 to May 2. Forward Montana Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. 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 Federation of Public Employees Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. Montana Human Rights Network Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues. Montana State AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues. 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.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].
In 2022, the Montana State Legislature was not in session.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 4 to April 29. Americans for Prosperity Montana Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Forward Montana Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. 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 Farm Bureau Federation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Montana Federation of Public Employees Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. 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. Montana State AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues. Montanans for Limited Government Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. 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.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Robyn Driscoll (D)	Democratic Party of Montana Chair 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Sue Malek (D)	Montana State Senate District 46 2021-2025	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Montana State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Matt Regier

Majority Leader:Tom McGillvray

Senators

District 1

Mike Cuffe (R)

District 2

Dave Fern (D)

District 3

Carl Glimm (R)

District 4

John Fuller (R)

District 5

Matt Regier (R)

District 6

Mark Noland (R)

District 7

Greg Hertz (R)

District 8

Susan Webber (D)

District 9

Bruce Gillespie (R)

District 10

Jeremy Trebas (R)

District 11

Daniel Emrich (R)

District 12

Wendy McKamey (R)

District 13

Joshua Kassmier (R)

District 14

Russel Tempel (R)

District 15

Gregg Hunter (R)

District 16

Jonathan Windy Boy (D)

District 17

Bob Phalen (R)

District 18

Kenneth Bogner (R)

District 19

Barry Usher (R)

District 20

Sue Vinton (R)

District 21

Gayle Lammers (R)

District 22

Daniel Zolnikov (R)

District 23

Emma Kerr-Carpenter (D)

District 24

Mike Yakawich (R)

District 25

Dennis Lenz (R)

District 26

Tom McGillvray (R)

District 27

Vince Ricci (R)

District 28

Forrest Mandeville (R)

District 29

John Esp (R)

District 30

Cora Neumann (D)

District 31

Pat Flowers (D)

District 32

Denise Hayman (D)

District 33

Christopher Pope (D)

District 34

Shelley Vance (R)

District 35

Tony Tezak (R)

District 36

Sara Novak (D)

District 37

Derek Harvey (D)

District 38

Becky Beard (R)

District 39

Wylie Galt (R)

District 40

Laura Smith (D)

District 41

Janet Ellis (D)

District 42

Mary Dunwell (D)

District 43

Jason Ellsworth (R)

District 44

Theresa Manzella (R)

District 45

Denley Loge (R)

District 46

Jacinda Morigeau (D)

District 47

Ellie Boldman (D)

District 48

Andrea Olsen (D)

District 49

Willis Curdy (D)

District 50

Shane Morigeau (D)

Republican Party (32)

Democratic Party (18)