Walt Sales
Walt Sales (Republican Party) was a member of the Montana State Senate, representing District 35. He assumed office on January 4, 2021. He left office on January 6, 2025.
Sales (Republican Party) ran for election to the Montana State Senate to represent District 35. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Biography
Walt Sales graduated from Manhattan High School in 1978. Sales' career experience includes working as a rancher. He has served with Hearts and Homes, Manhattan Christian School Athletics, Board of Bozeman Health, and Gallatin Water Resources Task Force.[1]
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
Sales was assigned to the following committees:
- Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee
- Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Chair
- Senate Natural Resources Committee, Vice Chair
2021-2022
Sales was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee
- Senate State Administration Committee
- Senate Taxation Committee
2019-2020
Sales was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Human Services |
| • 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
Walt Sales did not file to run for re-election.
2020
See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Montana State Senate District 35
Walt Sales won election in the general election for Montana State Senate District 35 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Walt Sales (R) | 100.0 | 12,191 |
| Total votes: 12,191 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 35
Walt Sales defeated Gary Perry and Debra Brown in the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 35 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Walt Sales | 56.8 | 3,644 |
 | Gary Perry | 25.8 | 1,655 | |
| Debra Brown | 17.5 | 1,122 | ||
| Total votes: 6,421 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for Montana House of Representatives District 69
Incumbent Walt Sales defeated Joshua-Luke O'Connor in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 69 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Walt Sales (R) | 80.3 | 4,333 |
| Joshua-Luke O'Connor (L) | 19.7 | 1,061 | ||
| Total votes: 5,394 | |||
| = 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 69
Incumbent Walt Sales advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 69 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Walt Sales | 100.0 | 1,869 |
| Total votes: 1,869 | |||
| = 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 Matthew Monforton (R) did not seek re-election.
Walt Sales defeated Eric Dunham in the Montana House of Representatives District 69 general election.[2][3]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 69 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Walt Sales |
76.77% | 4,266 | |
| Democratic | Eric Dunham | 23.23% | 1,291 | |
| Total Votes | 5,557 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Eric Dunham ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 69 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 69 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Eric Dunham (unopposed) | |
Walt Sales defeated Phil Olson in the Montana House of Representatives District 69 Republican primary.[6][7]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 69 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Walt Sales |
65.05% | 1,450 | |
| Republican | Phil Olson | 34.95% | 779 | |
| Total Votes | 2,229 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Walt Sales did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Sales' campaign website highlighted the following issues:
Water right adjudication
- Excerpt: "We must complete the adjudication process on the water rights in Montana, providing protection in retaining the value of your property right."
Infrastructure funding
- Excerpt: "We must realize the benefits to responsible planning and take initiatives to put in place. Just like our ranch, we must provide the upkeep and maintenance to benefit from the handed down value from the past to our future generations."
Agriculture
- Excerpt: "I am a strong supporter and advocate for Montana's Number '1' industry."
Energy development
- Excerpt: "Be open-minded and aggressive on using our coal deposits as well as looking forward as opportunitites open for long term alternatives."
Business
- Excerpt: "Provide the climate for a stable economy with controlled regulation and a trained workforce, while being environmentally responsible to our natural resources."
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.
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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]. |
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In 2023, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 2 to May 2.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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In 2021, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 4 to April 29.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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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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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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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.
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Walt Sales SD35, "About Walt," accessed January 26, 2021
- ↑ 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
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Scott Sales (R) |
Montana State Senate District 35 2021-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Montana House of Representatives District 69 2017-2021 |
Succeeded by Jennifer Carlson (R) |
