Troy Downing (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.
Troy Downing
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Downing in 2023
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Auditor of Montana | |
Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
Governor | Greg Gianforte |
Preceded by | Matt Rosendale |
Personal details | |
Born | Troy Bryan Downing[1] (1967-03-04) March 4, 1967 (age 57) California, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Heather Downing (m. 2004) |
Children | 4 |
Education | New York University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
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Downing is a native of Indio, California.[4] He studied applied mathematics and computer science at New York University.[5][6]
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]
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]
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 will face Democratic nominee John Driscoll in the general election on November 5, 2024.
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.[15]
In 2017, Downing was charged with hunting license violations.[16][17] Downing and his wife, Heather, have four children.[3]
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Auditor of Montana 2021–present |
Incumbent |