Francis "Ed" Edward Buttrey (born December 14, 1965) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Montana Legislature The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana. It is composed of the 100-member Montana House of Representatives and the 50-member Montana Senate. The Montana Constitution dictates that the legislature me ...

. He served in the

Montana Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

from 2011 to 2019 and then served in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

.Vote Smart-Edward Buttrey
/ref> He was elected to Senate District 13, representing

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

, in 2011.

Legislative history

Buttrey served as Majority Whip in the Senate during the 2015-2016 session. Buttrey has garnered a mixed reputation in regards to policy during his tenure in both Montana legislative bodies. Though Buttrey was lauded by centrist Republicans and Democrats alike for working on

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

expansion in Montana, he was criticized by the

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a progressive American think tank that analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Center's stated mission is to "conduct resear ...

for his legislation which the Center said "would likely cause coverage losses similar to or even higher than those of

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, the first state with a Medicaid work requirement. That state ended coverage for more than 18,000 people.” In 2013, Buttrey voted for SB 405 which repealed same-day voter registration. Then-

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President Jeannine English described the bill and other measures like it as "...a form of voter suppression." In 2019, Buttrey voted against Montana HB 547 which prohibits employers from stopping employees from discussing wages.

Campaign for U.S House

On December 18, 2016, Buttrey announced his candidacy for the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to fill Montana's at-large U.S. House seat vacated by

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appointee

Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith Zinke (; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. Zinke, a member of the Republican Party, served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional d ...

. At the Republican party convention on March 3, 2017, Buttrey and multiple other GOP candidates were eliminated in favor of businessman

Greg Gianforte Gregory Richard Gianforte (born April 17, 1961) is an American businessman, politician, software engineer, and writer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Gianforte served as the U.S. representa ...

who would go on to win the general election as well.

Personal life

Buttrey received a degree in electrical engineering from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

. He is a volunteer firefighter and volunteer football coach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buttrey, Edward Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Republican Party Montana state senators Montana State University alumni 1965 births Living people Politicians from Great Falls, Montana Politicians from Helena, Montana 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Montana politicians