Corey Stapleton

Early life, education, and military service

Stapleton was born in Seattle, Washington. He was adopted as an infant and lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho until age 2 and then moved to Great Falls, Montana in 1969. His parents are Toby and Avis Stapleton. His father is a retired architect and colonel in the Army reserve from Lewistown, Montana. Mother was a teacher of home economics, from Livingston, Montana.

Stapleton enlisted in the United States Navy’s Nuclear Power Program through the Delayed Entry Program at the end of his junior year of high school, and went to boot camp in Orlando, Florida, the following year after graduation in 1986.

In Orlando, Stapleton earned the Honor Recruit award in his boot camp company. Nominated by the Secretary of the Navy, he attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. Serving as battalion adjutant and earning the Most Inspirational Wrestler Award, he entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Stapleton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He served as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and the Aegis cruiser USS Hué City (CG-66). He voluntarily resigned his naval commission in 1997 to work in Billings, Montana, as a financial advisor.

Elections

In 2000 he won a three-way Republican primary and then general election to become the first Generation X-er elected to the Montana State Senate. In 2004, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Chris Daem 57%-43%

Tenure

Stapleton was elected Majority Whip in 2006 until term-limited out of office in 2008. He served as Senate Minority Leader in the 2007 legislative session, which ended without a budget compromise between the Democratic-controlled senate and Republican-controlled House.

Stapleton sponsored several pieces of legislation including Otter Creek Coal development (SB409 2003) the attempted creation of a Montana medical school (SB273 2005) the Montana National Guard Relief Act (SB75) and the demand for reorganization and replacement of the Montana Department of Revenue’s computer system POINTS (SB271 2003).

Stapleton was a member of the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Legislative Leaders Council and traveled to Taiwan, Japan, and Turkey representing Montana. In 2006 he was the architect of Republican legislative candidates’ “Handshake with Montana” similar to the 1994 Republican Party “Contract with America” and put Montana Republicans back into control of the House and split control of the Montana State Senate.

Committee assignments

2012 gubernatorial election

Stapleton ran for Governor of Montana with former State Senator Bob Keenan as running mate in 2012. He lost to former U.S. Congressman Rick Hill, who won the seven-candidate Republican primary with a plurality of 34% of the vote. Stapleton ranked second with 18% of the vote, sixteen points behind Hill. He won only two counties in the state: Yellowstone (33%) and Treasure (29%).

2014 U.S. Senate election

In early 2013, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate and challenge longtime Democratic incumbent Max Baucus. Stapleton criticized Baucus's record and started a petition to repeal Obamacare. In April 2013, Baucus decided to retire.

2014 U.S. House of Representatives election

After it became clear that freshman Representative Steve Daines would seek the Senate seat, Stapleton withdrew from the Senate race to instead run for Daines' seat in the House. Stapleton lost the Republican primary to Ryan Zinke.

Secretary of State

In July 2017, Stapleton said that there had been 360 cases of voter fraud in Montana in the 2017 special congressional election. When asked to substantiate his claims, Stapleton said that he had been "incorrectly" quoted by the Associated Press and Lee Newspapers.

Personal life

Stapleton married his wife Terry in 1992 in Great Falls. They have four children. Stapleton has served on various community boards including Montana Manufacturing Extension board, Rotary, American Legion, and the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind foundation His family attends Faith Chapel church in Billings.