Ken Bogner
Active candidates for U.S. House District 2 (East)
Republican
Democrat
Bogner, 37 as of Election Day, was born and raised in Miles City, which he currently represents as a state senator. He says he is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was deployed twice to Iraq.
Bogner says he’s campaigning this year because he’s frustrated by how the Biden administration handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and how it’s handling the security of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“[A]s a Marine, I could not stand by and watch those national security failures without doing anything,” he said.
This biography is based on written information provided by Bogner.
ON THE ISSUES
Answers here were solicited from candidates via a written questionnaire conducted by MTFP in April 2024. Responses were limited to 1,000 characters and edited lightly for punctuation and spelling. Candidates were asked to focus on the positives their service would bring the state instead of making rhetorical attacks on their opponents. Responses have not been exhaustively fact-checked.
Inflation caused by the national debt spending. Every person in Montana is paying more for expensive groceries, high gas prices and living with high inflation. If we do not get the out-of-control spending the future of our country is at risk. Congress must pass a balanced budget provision. Congress must also adopt single issue spending bills and term limits as way to address this issue that we cannot put off any longer.
Rand Paul. He takes protecting the U.S. Constitution and our freedoms very seriously.
I would stop members of Congress, and their spouses, from trading stocks while in office. Congress is using this as a way to get rich, it is self-serving and eroding trust in Congress. It must end.
President Trump had previously made competing with China a priority, and I will work with him to continue that work. I passed the bill in Montana to prohibit foreign adversaries, like China, from buying our land. I will pass this bill at the federal level.
Yes, of the utmost priority. Congress must first pass a balanced budget provision as a long-term fix. We must also stop sending our money overseas. The alphabet agencies like the FBI, CIA, NSA should all have massive budget cuts. The U.S. military needs to become more cost conscious. Also, we need to be sending our education dollars directly to the states instead of spending so much on federal bureaucracy. There is plenty to cut.
I am pro-life. I have voted for all pro-life bills in the Montana Legislature and will do the same in Congress. I also believe in federalism and the states should be determining their laws.
Congress must pass a balanced budget provision. Spending money the government does not have is causing inflation to spiral out of control, making things more expensive for Montanans. A balanced budget provision will stop Congress from continuing unsustainable spending and will lower inflation, making housing more affordable.
It is not an urgent issue. We should stop using tax dollars to subsidize "green" energy implementation but instead let the free market determine the speed at which we adopt new energy technologies.
Congress must secure the border now! This includes closing the gaps in the southern border wall, ending catch and release, bringing back the “remain in Mexico” policy. There should not be any more free flights, debit cards, and New York City hotel rooms for people coming across; it is incentivizing border crossings and must end. Congress must also reform the legal immigration system to a merit-based system that allows people to enter who will assimilate and be an asset to the U.S., not a drain on it.
The federal government needs to move towards more preventative medicine research instead of a "sick-care" system that is only concerned about healing the current disease. By focusing on disease prevention, it will reduce the amount of time people are in the hospital due to disease. To do this, we must adopt my bill I passed in Montana to expand medical right-to-try, shift NIH funding to age-related disease prevention, and reform the FDA towards innovation and efficacy.
MTFP COVERAGE OF Bogner
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Election outcomes
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| TROY DOWNING | 36,050 | |
| DENNY REHBERG | 17,070 | |
| STACY ZINN | 13,478 | |
| ELSIE ARNTZEN | 9,394 | |
| KEN BOGNER | 8,969 | |
| RIC HOLDEN | 7,063 | |
| JOEL G. KRAUTTER | 3,409 | |
| KYLE AUSTIN | 3,138 | |
| ED WALKER | 1,152 |
COMMON VOTING QUESTIONS
When are Montana’s 2024 elections?
Voters will pick which candidates advance to the November general election in the June primary, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4. Voters will pick the candidates who will ultimately fill each office on the ballot in the November election, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Who runs Montana’s elections?
Montana elections are administered at the county level. The process is overseen by county clerks and election administrators, who help to train and monitor the volunteer election judges that staff the polls. Ballots are typically processed and counted at central county locations, with the results reported to the Montana secretary of state’s office via a statewide software system called ElectMT.
Once polls close, the secretary of state’s office provides results through its website. The state-level office also provides guidance to local election administrators to ensure compliance with state election laws. Additionally, enforcing compliance with some laws governing political campaigns, particularly those involving campaign finance, falls to a separate office known as the Commissioner of Political Practices.
Do I need to be registered in order to vote?
Yes. If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check it through the Montana secretary of state's My Voter Page. You can register to vote by stopping by your county election office any time during regular business hours to pick up an application. After you’ve filled it out, you’ll need to get it back to your county election office by mail or in person (the latter option is strongly recommended close to Election Day to ensure your application is received in time). If you do present your application in person, you’ll have to provide a photo ID or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you happen to be applying for a Montana driver’s license or identification card before the election, you can register to vote at the same time.
Can I register to vote on Election Day?
Yes. The state Legislature has sought to enact an earlier registration deadline, but under a March 2024 ruling by the Montana Supreme Court, same-day voter registration remains legal in Montana. Residents can register to vote or update their voter registration at their county’s election office prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Does Montana have voter ID requirements?
Yes, you will be required to present identification when voting at the polls. However, under the Montana Supreme Court’s March ruling, changes made to those requirements by the 2021 Legislature remain blocked. The current forms of identification voters can use at the polls are a current Montana driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, tribal or military photo ID, a U.S. passport or a student ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, you can use a utility bill, a bank statement, a voter confirmation card or any other government document that shows your name and address.
Are there situations where I wouldn't be eligible to vote?
According to state law, you can't vote if you'll be under age 18 on Election Day, are not a U.S. citizen, or have lived in Montana less than 30 days. Convicted felons who are currently incarcerated in a penal facility and people whom judges have ruled to be of unsound mind are also ineligible to vote. Otherwise, you're good to go.
Can I vote online?
No, that’s not an option in Montana.
Can I vote by mail?
Yes, you can sign up as an absentee voter by checking a box on your voter registration form. If you’re already registered to vote, you can fill out a separate form and submit it to your county election office.
If you’re registered as an absentee voter, a ballot should be mailed to you a few weeks in advance of each election day. You can make sure your address is current via the My Voter page. County election officials are slated to mail ballots to voters for the June 2024 primary election May 10.
You can return ballots by mail, or drop them off in person at your county’s election office. Either way, the election office must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to count it.
How do I vote in person?
If you plan to vote at the polls, just be sure you know where your polling location is and head there between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. You'll need to provide a photo ID and sign the precinct register, at which point you’ll get your ballot and be directed to a voting booth. If you have any technical questions or run into any problems, the election judges at your polling place should be able to help you.
I have a friend or family member who isn't able to drop off his or her mail-in ballot. Can I do it for them?
Yes, you can. The Montana Legislature did make some changes to ballot collection laws in 2021 related to paid ballot collection, those changes have also been blocked by the Montana Supreme Court.
Who should I vote for?
That’s your call, not ours. We hope the information we present on this guide is helpful as you make that decision for yourself, though.
About this project
This guide was produced by the Montana Free Press newsroom with production and web development by Eric Dietrich, editing by Brad Tyer and Nick Ehli and contributions from Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Mara Silvers, Alex Sakariassen, Amanda Eggert and Stephanie Farmer. Questionnaire responses for legislatiive candidates were collected with help from the Montana League of Women Voters, through the league's Vote 411 program. Contact Eric Dietrich with questions, corrections or suggestions at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.
Montana Free Press is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reader-supported news organization serving Montana. MTFP's donor base includes supporters from across Montana's political spectrum, including some Montanans who are candidates in this year's election. MTFP's major donors are listed here and a current list of other supporters is available here. MTFP's news judgments are made entirely independently from donor involvement.
This material is available for republication by other media outlets under Montana Free Press' standard distribution terms.