Troy Downing
Troy Downing | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Downing in 2023 | |
| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 2nd district | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Matt Rosendale |
| Auditor of Montana | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Governor | Greg Gianforte |
| Preceded by | Matt Rosendale |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 4, 1967 Indio, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Heather Downing |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | New York University |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Unit | 129th Rescue Squadron |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
Troy Bryan Downing[1] (born March 4, 1967)[2] is an American politician and businessman serving as the Montana state auditor.[3] Prior to the 2020 election, Downing worked as a real estate developer and technology entrepreneur. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Downing ran for the United States Senate in 2018, but placed third in the Republican primary, behind then-State Auditor of Montana Matt Rosendale and Yellowstone County District Judge Russell Fagg. In 2020, Downing ran for State Auditor of Montana to succeed Rosendale, who was running for the House of Representatives. He won the Republican nomination, defeating 2 other candidates, and defeated Democrat Shane Morigeau in the general election. In 2024, instead of running for a second term, Downing instead ran for the House of Representatives, also to succeed Rosendale, who retired after 2 terms. He won the Republican nomination and defeated former Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives John Driscoll by a 32.2% margin, and is expected to take office on January 3, 2025.
Early life and education
[edit]Downing was born in Indio, California.[4] He studied applied mathematics and computer science at New York University.[5][6]
Career
[edit]Downing was a research scientist and educator at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.[3] After leaving college, Downing founded WebCal, a web calendar company that was later acquired by Yahoo!.[7] Downing later founded a nationwide commercial insurance company and a real estate firm.[3] He enlisted in the United States Air Force after the September 11 attacks and was assigned to a combat search and rescue squadron.[3] During his service, Downing worked as a flight engineer and was deployed to Afghanistan twice.[8][9] He is the founder and former CEO of AC Self Storage Solutions, a self-storage and real estate investment firm based in Carlsbad, California.[10]
Downing is the co-owner of Wildrye Distilling in Bozeman, Montana, which manufactured thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana.[11]
Downing was a candidate in the 2018 United States Senate election in Montana, placing third in the Republican primary.[12]
Montana state auditor
[edit]During the 2020 Montana elections, Troy Downing defeated Scott Tuxbury and Nelly Nicol in the Republican primary for Montana state auditor.[13] On June 2, 2020, Downing became the Republican nominee, winning 55 of 56 counties and receiving 50% of the vote in the three-way primary.[13]
In the general election, Downing defeated state Senator Shane Morigeau.[13] He was sworn in as state auditor on January 4, 2020.[14]
U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]2024 election
[edit]In the June 4, 2024 primary, Downing won the eight-way contest to secure the Republican nomination for eastern Montana's 2nd congressional district. He won the general election on November 5, 2024, defeating Democratic nominee John Driscoll.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Downing is a volunteer for the Warriors and Quiet Waters (WQW) Foundation.[3]
Downing built a vacation home in Big Sky, Montana, in 2000 and moved there full-time in 2009.[16]
In 2017, Downing was charged with hunting license violations.[17][18] He ultimately pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges, being ordered to pay a $2,110 fine and any court fees.[19] Downing and his wife, Heather, have four children.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Rep. Troy Downing - R Montana, 2nd - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ "Biographical information on Troy Downing". AP NEWS. June 4, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Meet Troy Downing". Troy Downing for Montana State Auditor. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Troy Downing, CEO, AC Self Storage Solutions, Big Sky, Mont. - Mini Storage Messenger". www.ministoragemessenger.com. September 1, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Lucas, David (September 1, 2017). "Troy Downing, CEO, AC Self Storage Solutions, Big Sky, Mont". Mini Storage Messenger. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Biographical information on Troy Downing". The Seattle Times. May 11, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Jon; Downing, Troy (1997). Java Virtual Machine. O'Reilly. ISBN 978-1-56592-194-8.
- ^ "Troy Downing". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Aadl, Chris (November 4, 2020). "Downing wins election as state auditor". Montana Free Press. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Alexander Harris (May 30, 2017). "Exclusive: Downing eyes move from self-storage to the U.S. Senate". The SpareFoot Storage Beat. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "From spirits to hand sanitizer: Bozeman distillery helping meet supply needs for first responders". KBZK News. March 24, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Rob (October 22, 2020). "Divorce and old threats emerge in state auditor race". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Troy Downing". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "DOWNING SWORN IN AS COMMISSIONER OF SECURITIES AND INSURANCE". EIN News. January 4, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Patrick. "Troy Downing wins U.S. House race for eastern district". Yellowstone Public Radio. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Troy Downing enters 2020 state auditor race". KBZK. June 26, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020. ROGERS, ROB (November 4, 2020). "Downing enjoys comfortable lead in state auditor race". Montana Standard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Blois, Matt (September 29, 2017). "Candidate Troy Downing Charged With Hunting License Violations". www.mtpr.org. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Where are the Montana Republicans?". Flathead Beacon. September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Downing sentenced for hunting violations, loses privileges for 18 months". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
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