Brad Barker
Brad Barker | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 58th district | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Seth Berglee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1972 Altus, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Carla Barker |
| Residence(s) | Luther, Montana, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Georgetown University Masters in Public Policy, 2004, Marine Corps University, Masters in Military Studies, 2006 |
| Alma mater | U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economics, 1994 |
| Occupation | Businessman, public servant and retired US Army aviation officer |
Brad Barker is an American public servant from the state of Montana who has served as a member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 58th district since 2023.[2]
Early life and career
[edit]Barker was born in Altus, Oklahoma, raised on a farm and ranch near Snyder, Oklahoma, and graduated from high-school in Snyder.[3] He left Oklahoma for the United States Military Academy at West Point at 17 years old and graduated in 1994.[3] Upon graduation, he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army as an aviation officer.
Brad served over 20 years in multiple command and staff assignments up through Aviation Battalion Task Force Command in Afghanistan with over 600 personnel and 49 aircraft. Over the course of his career, he served in South Korea, Germany, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.[3] In addition, he served as a military advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy at the Pentagon in 2005. Brad is a master army aviator rated in the UH-1 (Huey), OH-58 A/C (Kiowa), AH-64A (Apache) and AH-64D (Longbow) with multiple deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Korea. He also received four Bronze Star Medals and three Air Medals for leadership in combat.
He moved to Jackson, Wyoming, after his retirement and was elected as the chief operating officer of Teton County School District Number 1.[3] He served from 2014 until 2016.[4]
State House
[edit]Barker serves on the Agriculture, Taxation, Transport, and is the chairman of the Interim Legislative Consumer committees. His campaign was largely self-funded with large contributions from the Montana Republican Party and the Montana Farm Bureau.[5]
He helped author legislation to increase literacy rates among children in 2023 and held a press conference alongside Governor Greg Gianforte on the issue of education.[6][7]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Barker | 3,841 | 66.44% | |
| Democratic | Judith P. Gregory | 1,940 | 33.56% | |
| Total votes | 5,781 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Montana State Legislature". leg.mt.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Brad Barker". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b c d Moody, Frances (2015-12-16). "Military roots help Barker lead". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "House District 58". Billings Gazette. 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Barker, Brad - FollowTheMoney.org". www.followthemoney.org. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "New Montana law aims to help increase literacy among children". ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV. 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Ehrlick, Darrell (2023-11-30). "The 'big lie' of Montana". Daily Montanan. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
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