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VOTE411 Voter Guide

MONTANA HOUSE DISTRICT 4

State House Representative – the office of state representative serves in the Montana legislature’s lower house. There are 100 representatives who are elected from districts. Representatives are elected to 2-year terms. Representatives propose and vote on proposed laws during the legislative sessions that meet for 90 days in odd-numbered years, and provide oversight of state agencies and study issues through interim committees that meet between sessions. Representatives are limited to four consecutive 2-year terms.

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    LYN BENNETT
    (Rep)

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    PAULA KOCH
    (Dem)

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    SHAUN PANDINA
    (Rep)

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    NATHAN PURDY
    (Rep)

Biographical Information

Q1. Please briefly provide the following information: place (town or county and state) of birth, age as of election day 2026, place (town or county) of permanent residency, occupation/employer, and education. How do these and your other life experiences qualify you to be an effective Legislator?

Q2. What are the most important issues you expect to face if elected to the Montana Legislature, and what are your positions on those issues? How would you prioritize each of the issues you have identified?

Q3. What economic policies will you pursue to help Americans who are concerned about their economic prospects in the coming years, including the cost of medical insurance and care?

Q4. What measures do you support to ensure Montana elections are secure while facilitating the ability of all eligible voters to cast their ballots? What, if anything, should the state government do to reduce the role of money in American elections?

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Born: Helena, MT Permanent Residency: Columbia Falls/Flathead Country Occupation: Teacher & Coach (School District Six) Education: Master of Education Special Education and Spanish/Licensure in Administration (K-12 Principal) My advocacy for students, families, teachers, parents and community members from all backgrounds and economic situations provides me with the skills to work across the party lines to support policies that solve real problems, strengthen communities, and create lasting, positive outcomes. I bring experience in negotiations, budgeting, personnel decisions, conflict resolution and collaboration, all of which mirror the responsibilities of my role in Helena.
The most important issues I expect to face are public education funding, housing affordability, healthcare and mental health access, and protecting Montana’s natural resources. I support restructuring property tax laws to sustainably fund public schools without overburdening local taxpayers, while strengthening special education, CTE programs, and teacher recruitment and retention. I strongly support expanding mental health services for our youth. I will prioritize protecting open spaces, clean water, and public land access through responsible stewardship that supports local jobs and keeps decision-making in the hands of Montanans. I will work to protect homeowners and renters from excessive property tax increases.
Key policies to improve economic prospects include lowering health care costs, raising wages, and easing housing pressure, especially in rural areas and fast-growing cities like those in Montana. In health care, expanding ACA subsidies, keeping Medicaid expansion strong, and improving rural hospital funding can reduce premiums and improve access. Prescription drug price negotiation would also lower costs. Wage growth can be supported through apprenticeships in trades, energy, and health care, stronger labor competition, and inflation-adjusted minimum wage policies. Expanding housing supply is now essential in Montana in our high-cost areas to reduce rent and home price pressure.
In short, secure elections and accessible elections are not competing goals. They reinforce each other when built on transparency, verifiability, and broad participation. To reduce the role of money, require timely, detailed reporting of campaign donations and spending, including “dark money” groups where legally possible. The goal is to eliminate hidden political spending so voters can clearly see who is funding campaigns, without restricting lawful political speech.
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