Monica Lindeen (born May 16, 1962) is an American politician who served as the

Montana State Auditor The Montana State Auditor is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Montana. The State Auditor is elected once every four years, concurrent with the state's gubernatorial election and the U.S. presid ...

. She was elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. Due to term limits, she was ineligible to run again in 2016, and became a candidate for Montana Secretary of State.

Early life and education

Lindeen was born in Ogden, Utah. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from

Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...

, specializing in English and history.

Career

Lindeen was a Democratic member of the Montana House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006, representing House District 43. Lindeen served as vice chair of the Montana Democratic Party from 1997 to 2000. In 1996, she ran for House District 7 but lost to the incumbent. Lindeen was a candidate for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 2006, running against

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 ...

incumbent Dennis Rehberg and Libertarian Mike Fellows for the lone

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

seat in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

. Lindeen lost the election with 39% of the vote to Rehberg's 59% and Fellows' 2%.

State Auditor

On February 19, 2007 Lindeen announced her plans to run for State Auditor in the 2008 elections. Lindeen named Walt Schweitzer as Deputy State Auditor. Schweitzer, the brother of Governor

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democra ...

and a campaign consultant, had managed Lindeen's campaign. In the summer of 2009, an employee of the office, Laura McGee, formally complained to Lindeen that Schweitzer improperly "solicited campaign contributions from employees in the State Auditor’s office on state time." McGee was subsequently fired, and Schweitzer claimed to have no recollection of the events. McGee then filed a wrongful discharge lawsuit and an independent investigation was launched. Although the independent investigation did not substantiate McGee's allegation, in part because she did not cooperate with the investigator, the State Auditor's office nonetheless chose to settle the lawsuit. According to the ''Billings Gazette'', "Investigating and settling McGee’s complaint cost the Auditor’s Office about $62,500," and in addition, Lindeen reinstated McGee to employment for a period of 16 months at her previous salary of $45,000 a year and allowed for remote work.

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

On November 4, 2011, Lindeen was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the

National Association of Insurance Commissioners The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territor ...

. In 2013, Lindeen received the Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award, presented by the NAIC’s Consumer Representatives. She received the honor in recognition for her work as a strong voice for consumer protection and her dedication in maintaining states’ rights in insurance regulation. She was elected to serve as the president of the NAIC throughout 2015. After serving eight years as the State Commissioner of Securities and Insurance she entered the campaign for

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

but lost the seat to Republican

Denny Rehberg Dennis Ray Rehberg (born October 5, 1955) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party. He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 1991 to 1997 and as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. Rehberg was the Repu ...

Lindeen new executive director of the Montana Democratic Party
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Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindeen, Monica 1962 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Living people Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Montana State University Billings alumni Politicians from Billings, Montana State insurance commissioners of the United States Women state legislators in Montana