Joel Krautter (born December 8, 1987) is an American politician[1] attorney,[2] small business owner and Republican candidate for the eastern Montana congressional district in Montana. Krautter was a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 35th district.
Joel Krautter grew up in Deer Lodge, Montana, graduating from Powell County High School, where he helped lead the golf team to two state championships in 2005[3] and 2007.[4]
In 2011, Krautter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Government: Pre-law from Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. While at Liberty University, Krautter was involved in campus politics. He was briefly involved with both the college democrats and college republicans while at Liberty.[5] He was also involved in pro-Israel activism, serving as president of the university’s Stand with Israel club.[6] Krautter was elected president of the graduating class of 2011.[7] In 2014, Krautter earned a JD degree from University of Montana School of Law.[8]
Krautter first ran for office in 2016, challenging incumbent Scott Staffanson for MT House District 35 in the Republican primary.[9] Staffanson would win re-election, although Krautter in his first campaign would capture 40% of the vote against the lifelong Sidney resident. During the campaign Krautter wrote an op-ed that discussed why he was a Republican.[10]
Krautter was subsequently elected chairman of the Richland County Republican Central Committee in 2017.[11]
In 2018, Krautter ran for the open House District 35 seat after Staffanson retired, defeating Tanya Rost in the Republican primary.[12]
On December 31, 2023, Krautter announced he would be running for the eastern Montana seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 election.[19]
In August 2014, Krautter moved to Sidney, Montana after graduating from law school.[8] In 2022, Krautter relocated to Billings, Montana and began working from the law firm's Billings branch office. Krautter is a co-founder of the non-profit organization, Friends of the Montana Constitution.[24]
