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Sterling Laudon

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Sterling Laudon
Image of Sterling Laudon
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Billings Senior High School

Bachelor's

University of British Columbia at Vancouver, 2008

Law

The University of Montana School of Law, 2012

Personal
Profession
Public defender
Contact

Sterling Laudon (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Montana House of Representatives to represent District 12. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Laudon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sterling Laudon earned a high school diploma from Billings Senior High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia at Vancouver in 2008 and a law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 2012. His career experience includes working as a public defender.[1]

Elections

2022

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Montana House of Representatives District 12

Incumbent Linda Reksten defeated Sterling Laudon in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 12 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Linda Reksten
Linda Reksten (R)
 
61.8
 
3,346
Image of Sterling Laudon
Sterling Laudon (D) Candidate Connection
 
38.2
 
2,068

Total votes: 5,414
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 12

Sterling Laudon advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 12 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sterling Laudon
Sterling Laudon Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
855

Total votes: 855
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 12

Incumbent Linda Reksten advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 12 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Linda Reksten
Linda Reksten
 
100.0
 
1,990

Total votes: 1,990
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Sterling Laudon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Laudon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm Sterling Laudon. I live in Polson with my wife and am the Managing Attorney in the Polson Office of the State Public Defender (all opinions my own). My wife and I are products of public schools. I feel it’s critically important to support public education. We both love to hike and spend time outdoors. Access to the outdoors is a big reason we chose Polson as our home. We have this outrageously beautiful environment all around us, and I pledge to protect it through my work in the legislature.
  • The legislature needs to increase access to affordable housing. I’m a renter and like a lot of people, I have seen housing prices go crazy in the past couple years. A year ago, my wife and I were looking at buying a house in Polson and eventually gave up. When we stopped trying to buy, finding a long-term rental felt impossible.
  • The government shouldn't be interfering with women's rights to make personal health decisions. With Roe v. Wade being overturned, there’s going to be a huge push to limit abortion rights. We see what Republican legislatures are doing in other states. Laws are being passed to ban abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. Laws have passed to ban abortion when the child will be stillborn. There are even laws banning abortion when it’s necessary to save the life of the mother.
  • The legislature should provide tax relief to offset increasing housing and energy costs. However, our limited resources should be targeted toward the middle class and lower income families instead of giving away huge tax cuts to the wealthy as Republicans did during the last legislative session.
Right now in Montana, we have a Republican legislature. We have a Republican governor. When there is only one group in charge, you get the most extreme policies. Like me, most Montanans would prefer to see a more balanced approach.

I love it here in Montana. I’m running for office because I want to put a lid on some of the extreme policies out there. I want to make sure that Montana stays a place where families can afford a home; A place you can put your kids in quality public schools; and a place we can continue to access our amazing outdoors.
My political philosophy is shaped by my time working for Senator Baucus from 2012 - 2014. He represented an old school brand of politics of respect and working across the aisle. He frequently reminded staff to remember who we worked for—the people of Montana. He lamented the rise of partisanship we have seen. I am committed to make government more efficient and responsive to the people of my district by working with anyone and everyone who wants to make Montana an even better place to live.
The theme song from "Planet Earth II."
In 2010, my wife's sister and three of our friends died in a plane crash while I was in law school. The crash changed our lives. It made my wife and I focus on making the most of the time we have on earth. From 2017 - 2019, we took a break from our jobs to travel around the world.

The people we met while traveling shaped my worldview, making me even more appreciative of democracy. Democracy gives us rights, freedoms, and a better way of life. While I was traveling, I visited a lot of places that didn't have those freedoms. It made me appreciate and want to fight for the democracy we have at home.
What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?

Time to get a new fence.
The legislature works best when the parties work together. Montanans get the best outcomes when there is more diverse representation--not only one party in charge. Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas. A government the includes both Democrats and Republicans would prevent extreme policies from being enacted.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 8, 2022


Current members of the Montana House of Representatives
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Majority Leader:Steve Fitzpatrick
Minority Leader:Katie Sullivan
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SJ Howell (D)
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