Joel Krautter

Joel Krautter (born December 8, 1987) is an American politician^[1] attorney,^[2] small business owner and Republican candidate for the eastern Montana congressional district in Montana. Krautter was a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 35th district.

Joel Krautter
Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 35th district
In office January 7, 2019 – January 4, 2021
Preceded by	Scott Staffanson
Succeeded by	Brandon Ler
Personal details
Born	(1987-12-08) December 8, 1987 (age 37) Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (before 2010) Republican (2010–present)
Education	Liberty University (BA) University of Montana (JD)

Early life

Joel Krautter grew up in Deer Lodge, Montana, graduating from Powell County High School, where he helped lead the golf team to two state championships in 2005^[3] and 2007.^[4]

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. While at Liberty University, Krautter was involved in campus politics. He was briefly involved with both the college democrats and college republicans while at Liberty.^[5] He was also involved in pro-Israel activism, serving as president of the university’s Stand with Israel club.^[6] Krautter was elected president of the graduating class of 2011.^[7] In 2014, Krautter earned a JD degree from University of Montana School of Law.^[8]

Career

Krautter first ran for office in 2016, challenging incumbent Scott Staffanson for MT House District 35 in the Republican primary.^[9] Staffanson would win re-election, although Krautter in his first campaign would capture 40% of the vote against the lifelong Sidney resident. During the campaign Krautter wrote an op-ed that discussed why he was a Republican.^[10]

Krautter was subsequently elected chairman of the Richland County Republican Central Committee in 2017.^[11]

In 2018, Krautter ran for the open House District 35 seat after Staffanson retired, defeating Tanya Rost in the Republican primary.^[12]

On November 6, 2018, Krautter won the general election, running unopposed and became a Republican member of Montana House of Representatives for District 35.^[13][8]

Montana State Legislature

2016 State House of Representatives election

In 2016, Krautter was unsuccessful in the Republican Party primary.^[14]

Montana's 35th District House of Representatives Primary Election, 2016^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott Staffanson (Incumbent)	1,127	59.98
	Republican	Joel Krautter	752	40.02
Total votes			1,879	100

2018 State House of Representatives election

Krautter was elected in the 2018 Republican primary over Tanya Rost.^[14]

Montana's 35th District House of Representatives Primary Election, 2018^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Krautter	1,140	53.90
	Republican	Tanya Rost	975	46.10
Total votes			2,115	100

Krautter was uncontested in the general election, having received 3,688 votes.^[17]

2020 State House of Representatives election

Krautter was defeated for re-election in the 2020 Primary.^[14]

Montana's 35th District House of Representatives Primary Election, 2020^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brandon Ler	1,457	52.60
	Republican	Joel Krautter (Incumbent)	1,313	47.40
Total votes			2,770	100

2024 Campaign for U.S. House of Representatives

On December 31, 2023, Krautter announced he would be running for the eastern Montana seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 election.^[19]

Awards

• 2019 Rookie of the Year Award. Presented by Montana Farm Bureau Federation.^[20]
• Champion of Business Award. Presented by Montana Chamber of Commerce.^[21]
• Spirit Award. Presented by Disability Rights Montana.^[22]
• Hero Award. Presented by National Association of Mental Illness, Montana Chapter.^[23]

Personal life

In August 2014, Krautter moved to Sidney, Montana after graduating from law school.^[8] In 2022, Krautter relocated to Billings, Montana and began working from the law firm's Billings branch office. Krautter is a co-founder of the non-profit organization, Friends of the Montana Constitution.^[24]

References

1. "Representative Joel Krautter". MT Legislature Roster. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
2. Krautter, Joel. "Attorneys". Netzer, Krautter & Brown, PC. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
3. "Deer Lodge Boys Break Through". Missoulian. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
4. "Wardens take state golf win for second time in three years". Silver State Post.
5. "Flanked from the Right". Montana Free Press. 27 May 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
6. "Liberty Stands with Israel". Liberty Champion. 5 April 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
7. "Senior Class Gives Back". Liberty Champion. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
8. "Joel Krautter's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
9. "2016 GOP Primary: Staffanson v. Krautter in Eastern Montana House seat". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
10. "Why I am a Republican". Sidney Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
11. "Krautter elected local Republican Party chair". Sidney Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
12. "Primary election results". Sidney Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
13. "MT State House 035". ourcampaigns.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
14. "Joel Krautter". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
15. "Results" (PDF). sosmt.gov. 2016. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
16. "Results" (PDF). sosmt.gov. 2018. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
17. "Results" (PDF). sosmt.gov. 2018. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
18. "Results" (PDF). sosmt.gov. 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
19. Marino, Michael (January 19, 2024). "Joel Krautter Runs to 'Restore Statesmanship' in U.S. Congress". Yellowstone County News (Print). p. 11.
20. "Sidney legislator receives Farm Bureau Rookie of Year Award". mfbf.org. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
21. "Krautter receives Champion of Business Award". Sidney Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
22. "Representative Joel Krautter Honored for His Community Mental Health Work". The Roundup. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
23. "NAMI Hero and NAMI Exemplary Service Award Winners". NAMI. 26 December 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
24. https://montanaconstitution.org/

External links

• Joel Krautter at ourcampaigns.com
• Joel Krautter at muckrack.com