Sue Vinton

Sue Vinton

Republican Party

Montana State Senate District 20

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Prior offices

Montana House of Representatives District 56

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Compensation

Base salary

$104.86/legislative day

Per diem

$171/day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Associate

State University of New York, Albany

Bachelor's

Alfred University

Personal

Birthplace

Boston, Mass.

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Official website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Sue Vinton (Republican Party) is a member of the Montana State Senate, representing District 20. She assumed office on January 6, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2029.

Vinton (Republican Party) ran for election to the Montana State Senate to represent District 20. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

In 2023, Vinton was chosen to serve as House majority leader.

Biography

Sue Vinton was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned an associate degree in human services from the State University of New York, Albany, a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Alfred University, and a paralegal certification. Her career experience includes working as a business owner. Vinton served on the Lockwood School Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2016 and the Montana School Unemployment Insurance Program Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016. She has also served as a member of the Montana School Board Association Board of Directors.

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

Vinton was assigned to the following committees:

• Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee
• House Natural Resources Committee
• House Taxation Committee

2021-2022

Vinton was assigned to the following committees:

• House Ethics Committee, Vice Chair
• Appropriations Committee
• House Education Committee

2019-2020

Vinton was assigned to the following committees:

• Business and Labor Committee
• House Ethics Committee, Chair
• House Education Committee, Vice Chair
• Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee

2017 legislative session

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

Montana committee assignments, 2017
• Business and Labor
• Education
• Fish, Wildlife and Parks

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 20

Sue Vinton defeated Linda Auch in the general election for Montana State Senate District 20 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton (R)	70.6	6,820
	Submit photo	Linda Auch (D)	29.4	2,841

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 20

Linda Auch advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 20 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Linda Auch	100.0	1,098

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,098
= 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 20

Sue Vinton advanced from the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 20 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton	100.0	3,239

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,239
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Vinton in this election.

2022

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton won election in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton (R)	100.0	2,968

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,968
= 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 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton	100.0	1,776

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,776
= 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.

2020

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton won election in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton (R)	100.0	4,444

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,444
= 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 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton	100.0	2,008

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,008
= 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.

2018

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton defeated Janna Lind in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton (R)	67.5	2,822
	Submit photo	Janna Lind (D)	32.5	1,358

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,180
= 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 56

Janna Lind defeated Dan Gold in the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Janna Lind	78.3	556
	Submit photo	Dan Gold	21.7	154

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 710
= 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 56

Incumbent Sue Vinton advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 56 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sue Vinton	100.0	1,429

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,429
= 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 Tom Richmond (R) did not seek re-election.

Sue Vinton defeated Daryl Templet in the Montana House of Representatives District 56 general election.

Montana House of Representatives, District 56 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Sue Vinton	70.22%	2,940
	Democratic	Daryl Templet	29.78%	1,247
Total Votes				4,187
Source: Montana Secretary of State

Daryl Templet ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 56 Democratic primary.

Montana House of Representatives, District 56 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Daryl Templet  (unopposed)

Sue Vinton ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 56 Republican primary.

Montana House of Representatives, District 56 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Sue Vinton  (unopposed)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sue Vinton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Sue Vinton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Sue Vinton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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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Sue Vinton campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Montana State Senate District 20	Won general	$13,772	$0
2022	Montana House of Representatives District 56	Won general	$8,209	$0
2020	Montana House of Representatives District 56	Won general	$3,092	N/A**
2018	Montana House of Representatives District 56	Won general	$7,838	N/A**
2016	Montana House of Representatives, District 56	Won	$7,293	N/A**
Grand total			$40,204	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

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].
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.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
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].

In 2019, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 25. Americans for Prosperity Montana Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic 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: 2019 Senate and House voting records 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. 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.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
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].

In 2017, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 2 through April 28. Americans for Prosperity Montana Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Lewistown Tea Party: 2017 House and Senate scorecard Republican legislators are scored on whether they vote with the Republican Party. 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 Contrators' Association Legislators are scored on their votes on issues pertaining to the interests of the construction industry. Montana Environmental Information Center: 2017 Senate and House voting records 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. 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.

See also

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Candidate

Montana State Senate District 20

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Montana State Senate District 20

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Montana State Senate District 20 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Montana House of Representatives District 56 2017-2025	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)