Joel Krautter
Joel Krautter (born December 8, 1987) is an American politician from Montana. Krautter is a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 35th district. Krautter switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican but has voted with Democrats.
Joel Krautter | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 35th district | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Staffanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 8, 1987 Deer Lodge, Montana |
| Political party | Republican (2014-Present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (2008-2014) |
| Residence | Sidney, Montana |
| Alma mater | Liberty University |
| Occupation | Attorney, politician |
Early life
Krautter was born in Deer Lodge, Montana. Krautter is Martin S. Krauter, a pastor who founded of Grace Baptist Church in Deer Lodge, Montana in 1999. Krautter's mother is Lual O. Krautter, an artist and a harpist. Krautter graduated from Powell County High School.[1][2][3]
Education
In 2011, Krautter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Government: Pre-law from Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 2014, Krautter earned a JD degree from University of Montana School of Law.[2]
Career
Democrat
Krautter helped campaign for Barack Obama, helping get about 90 Liberty University students vote Democratic in 2008. In addition, he threatened to sue Liberty University if they didn’t stop officially recognizing a Democratic Party on campus. As a result, Krautter successfully caused the Republican Club to be unrecognized by Liberty University.[4]
Republican
In 2014, Krautter switched to the Republican Party and began campaigning for the 2016 Montana House election.[4]
In November 2015, Krautter was appointed and became a city attorney in Sidney, Montana, until 2017.[2][3]
On November 6, 2018, Krautter won the election unopposed and became a Republican member of Montana House of Representatives for District 35.[5][2]
Election history
2016 Primary Election
In 2016, Krautter was defeated in the Republican Party primary by a margin of almost 20%.[6]
| 2016 Montana House of Representatives 35th District Primary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Scott Staffanson | 1,127 | 59.98 |
| Republican | Joel Krautter | 752 | 40.02 |
2018 elections
| 2018 Montana House of Representatives 35th District Primary [7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Joel Krautter | 1,140 | 53.9 |
| Republican | Tanya Rost | 975 | 46.1 |
| 2018 Montana House of Representatives 35th District election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Joel Krautter | 3,688 | 100 |
2020 Primary election
Despite being the incumbent, Krautter was defeated in the 2020 Primary.[6]
| 2020 Montana House of Representatives 35th District Primary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Brandon Ler | 1,457 | 52.6 |
| Republican | Joel Krautter | 1,313 | 47.4 |
Awards
- 2019 Rookie of the Year Award. Presented by Montana Farm Bureau Federation.[8]
Personal life
In August 2014, Krautter moved to Sidney, Montana.[3][2]
References
- "Grace Baptist Church/About". gbcdl.org. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- "Joel Krautter's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- "City Attorney Joel Krautter Announced Monday That He Will Be Running For Montana House District 35". roundupweb.com. January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- "A Documented Timeline of Rep. Joel Krautter's Service to the Democratic Party". May 7, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "MT State House 035". ourcampaigns.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- "Joel Krautter". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "MT State House 035 - R Primary". ourcampaigns.com. June 5, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- "Sidney legislator receives Farm Bureau Rookie of Year Award". mfbf.org. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.