Christopher Pope
Christopher Pope (Democratic Party) is a member of theMontana State Senate, representingDistrict 33. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2029.
Pope (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to theMontana State Senate to representDistrict 33. He won in the general election onNovember 5, 2024.
Pope previously served as aMontana House District 65 member from 2015 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2021.
Biography
Christopher Pope lives in Bozeman, Montana. Pope earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish literature from the University of Oregon in 1975 and a master's degree in public and private management from Yale University School of Management in 1988.[1] His career experience includes working as a reporter for theBrunswick Times Record in Maine, as a manager for Solarex Corporation in Maryland, in the family retail business, and as a commercial realtor. Pope has served as the treasurer of the Montana Conservation Corps.[2]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Pope was assigned to the following committees:
2023-2024
Pope was assigned to the following committees:
- Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee
- Energy and Telecommunications Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance and Claims Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Legislative Consumer Committee
2021-2022
Pope was assigned to the following committees:
- Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee
- Energy and Telecommunications Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
2019-2020
Pope was assigned to the following committees:
- Business and Labor Committee
- Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committee,Vice Chair
- House Local Government Committee
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Pope served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| •Local Government |
| •Federal Relations, Energy, and Telecommunications |
| •Business and Labor |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Montana State Senate District 33
IncumbentChristopher Pope defeatedNeal Ganser in the general election for Montana State Senate District 33 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Christopher Pope (D) | 56.6 | 7,534 |
Neal Ganser (R)  | 43.4 | 5,772 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 13,306 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 33
IncumbentChristopher Pope advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 33 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pope | 100.0 | 2,833 |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,833 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 33
Neal Ganser advanced from the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 33 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Neal Ganser | 100.0 | 2,198 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,198 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Pope in this election.
2020
See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Montana State Senate District 31
Christopher Pope defeatedNicolas Allevato in the general election for Montana State Senate District 31 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pope (D) | 66.3 | 11,018 |
| Nicolas Allevato (R) | 33.7 | 5,596 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 16,614 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rick Vaught (R)
- Joshua-Luke O'Connor (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 31
Christopher Pope advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana State Senate District 31 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pope | 100.0 | 5,423 |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 5,423 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 31
Rick Vaught advanced from the Republican primary for Montana State Senate District 31 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rick Vaught | 100.0 | 2,531 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,531 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Tyler Vance (R)
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled.Joshua-Luke O'Connor advanced from the Libertarian primary for Montana State Senate District 31.
2018
General election
General election for Montana House of Representatives District 65
Christopher Pope defeatedJane Gillette in the general election for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pope (D) | 58.0 | 4,024 |
 | Jane Gillette (R) | 42.0 | 2,909 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 6,933 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jon Knokey (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65
Christopher Pope advanced from the Democratic primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christopher Pope | 100.0 | 1,513 |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. | Total votes: 1,513 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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 65
IncumbentJon Knokey advanced from the Republican primary for Montana House of Representatives District 65 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jon Knokey | 100.0 | 787 |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. | Total votes: 787 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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2016
Elections for theMontana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 14, 2016.
Jon Knokey defeated incumbentChristopher Pope in the Montana House of Representatives District 65 general election.[3][4]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 65 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jon Knokey | 50.45% | 3,149 | |
| Democratic | Christopher PopeIncumbent | 49.55% | 3,093 | |
| Total Votes | 6,242 | |||
| Source:Montana Secretary of State | ||||
IncumbentChristopher Pope ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 65 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 65 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Christopher PopeIncumbent (unopposed) | |
Jon Knokey ran unopposed in the Montana House of Representatives District 65 Republican primary.[7][8]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 65 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jon Knokey (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for theMontana House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014, and a general election took place onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 10, 2014; minor party and independent candidates had until June 2, 2014, to file.Christopher Pope was unopposed in the Democratic primary.Mike More defeatedEric Fulton in the Republican primary. Pope defeated More in the general election. IncumbentKathleen Williams (D) ran inDistrict 61.[9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Christopher Pope | 56.6% | 1,944 | |
| Republican | Mike More | 43.4% | 1,488 | |
| Total Votes | 3,432 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Mike More | 59.2% | 350 |
| Eric Fulton | 40.8% | 241 |
| Total Votes | 591 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christopher Pope did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Christopher Pope completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pope's responses.
Expand all |Collapse all
My central interests include extending educational opportunity for students with disabilities, and charting a clean energy path for the Treasure State.
I am married to my wife, Maddy. We have two adult children, Jessie and Ben. We live in Bozeman, Montana, a wonderful university town in the Northern Rockies.
My wife and I co-owned a family retail business on Bozeman's Main Street for 15 years. I am also a commercial Realtor [inactive] with a CCIM designation.
I am an avid amateur photographer, and enjoy spending time in the out-of-doors.- I am an experienced legislator and community leader who believes that competent, compassionate state government is key to our qualit of life.
- We live in times that demand accountability and transparency and fairness in our elected public servants.
- Our challenges present themselves as opportunities when decision-makers prioritize the process of governance: building trust, and finding cooperation and collaboration wherever possible.
Clean energy policy: Reducing all sources of carbon emissions as an essential step in addressing climate change
Access and protection of public lands
Expanded educational opportunity for students with disabilities
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.
2014
Pope's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | Building a vibrant economy for working Montanans and their families. The vitality and health of our communities depends upon a robust, entrepreneurial and growing economy capable of delivering well-paying jobs and a sense of opportunity for all Montanans. I have worked for 20 years in Montana-based small business. I know what businesses need to thrive and I will work hard to create jobs and economic opportunity in House District 65 and across the Treasure State. State government plays a critical role in supporting the Montana business community – preparing a future workforce, assisting with new market development, and helping create conditions for entrepreneurial activity in the state. Montana needs to increase its share of new and emerging markets, and State government must do its part to help businesses transition to best practices of sustainability, technology transfer and industry collaboration. Protecting Montana’s world-class environment. Montana is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty – a core contributor to our remarkable quality of life. Clean air and water, world-class wildlife and wild lands, pristine rivers, bountiful parks and public lands, are also an essential part of Montana’s modern economy. I will fight for access to public lands, clean air and water, a serious pragmatic approach to addressing climate change, and leadership in energy conservation and renewable energy development – to ensure that Montana continues to be that special place to live, work and recreate. Envisioning Healthy Communities. I believe affordable healthcare for all Montanans is an essential goal, and a core value of our future quality of life here in the Treasure State. A healthy and productive workforce is an immediate outcome. But, it’s also just a beginning to a vision of Healthy Communities: the State needs to move swiftly to improve mental health services, to reduce health care costs to seniors, to encourage active lifestyles in our communities, and to take meaningful steps to end substance abuse that is epidemic across our state, most tragically among our youth. Excellence in Public Education. Public education is a cherished institution in the Treasure State – but it demands our constant attention to ensure relevance and achievement in a rapidly changing world. Our kids need to graduate with an improved sense of self, with experience in service and volunteerism, skilled in the new technologies, as citizens ready to assume responsibility in their community and economy. I will advocate for proper funding, merit-based management, and programmatic innovation to promote excellence in our K-12 and higher-ed schools. And, as an extension to excellence in formal education, I will advocate for opportunities for our students to volunteer and to give back to their community – a Montana version of the 21st Century Conservation Corps. Prioritizing Comprehensive Campaign Reform. Our democracy is under attack by out–of-state stealth super-PACS seeking to swing Montana elections with dark money, while efforts are underway in-state to shamelessly keep voters from the polling booth. I stand for transparency, citizen participation, comprehensive campaign finance reform and simple democratic principles of one-person, one-vote.[11][12] | ” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Montana State Senate District 33 | Won general | $33,996 | $0 |
| 2020 | Montana State Senate District 31 | Won general | $31,675 | N/A** |
| 2018 | Montana House of Representatives District 65 | Won general | $33,924 | N/A** |
| 2014 | Montana House of Representatives, District 65 | Won | $18,265 | N/A** |
| Grand total | $117,860 | N/A** | ||
| Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). | ||||
| ** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle | ||||
| Note: Totals above reflect only available data. | ||||
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Montana scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
In 2024, theMontana State Legislature was not in session.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, theMontana State Legislature was in session from January 2 to May 2.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, theMontana State Legislature was not in session. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, theMontana State Legislature was in session from January 4 to April 29.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, theMontana State Legislature was not in session. |
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, theMontana State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 25.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, theMontana State Legislature was in session from January 2 through April 28.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, theMontana State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
In 2015, theMontana State Legislature was in session from January 5 through April 28.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Candidate Montana State Senate District 33 | Officeholder Montana State Senate District 33 | Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑Chris Pope for Montana, "About," accessed January 26, 2021
- ↑Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 29, 2020
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Legislative General Election Canvass," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 primary election - June 7, 2016," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2016 primary election - June 7, 2016," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Filing List: Legislative," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑Montana Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Election Canvass," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑Christopher Pope, "Issues," accessed September 30, 2014
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | Montana State Senate District 33 2025-Present | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Mike Phillips (D) | Montana State Senate District 31 2021-2025 | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - | Montana House of Representatives District 65 2019-2021 | Succeeded by Kelly Kortum (D) |
| Preceded by - | Montana House of Representatives District 65 2015-2017 | Succeeded by - |
- 2018 challenger
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- Current member, Montana State Senate
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