Tim Fox (Montana)
Tim Fox (Republican Party) was the Attorney General of Montana. He assumed office on January 7, 2013. He left office on January 4, 2021.
Fox (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Montana. He lost in the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.
Fox's previous legal experience includes time spent in private practice, as legal counsel to Mountain West Bank, and serving as a law clerk to state Supreme Court Justice L.C. Gulbrandson. Before his election as attorney general, Fox had worked in the state's Department of Environmental Quality and on the state Board of Oil and Gas Conservation.[1]
Biography
Fox was the fifth and youngest child born to parents Rich and Roberta Fox in Hardin, Montana, in 1957. He was raised in a small agricultural community and attended local public schools through high school graduation. He went on to receive a B.S. in geology from the University of Montana in 1981 and later returned there for law school, graduating with his J.D. in 1987.[2]
He began his law career as a clerk to Associate Justice L.C. Gulbrandson of the Montana Supreme Court, before taking a job in Billings at the firm of Moulton, Bellingham & Longo. Fox spent three years away from private practice (1990-1993) to develop a new environmental regulatory program for the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, after which he started his own firm as a contract public defender for the City of Billings. During this roughly two-year period prior to his relocation Helena in 1995, Fox worked double duty as a criminal lawyer for the City of Billings and continuing his civil law practice.
Once in Helena, where he moved to join the 1995 effort to re-elect Governor Marc Racicot, he was hired as a Special Assistant Attorney General for Montana's Department of Environmental Quality. He was eventually made a Division Administrator Manager but left the office in 1999 to take the position of Vice-President and Legal Counsel for Mountain West Bank, where he remained for four years. Afterward, Fox reentered private practice at the law firm of Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman, PLLP.
Aside from Fox's legal experience, he has volunteered on the board of nonprofit groups. His past leadership roles include serving on the board of directors of low income and disabled housing projects in Billings, two Montana symphony orchestras (Billings and Helena), a faith-based private K-12 school, the Carroll College Saints Athletic Association, and the Florence Crittenton Home. Additionally, he was appointed by Governor Marc Racicot to serve on the board of directors of the Montana Historical Society, and by Governor Judy Martz to serve on the Montana State Banking Board.[2]
Education
- Bachelor's degree in geology, University of Montana (1981)
- J.D., University of Montana (1987)
- M.P.A., University of Montana (2018)
Elections
2020
Gubernatorial election
See also: Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020
Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)
Montana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for Governor of Montana
Greg Gianforte defeated Mike Cooney, Lyman Bishop, and Chris Hall in the general election for Governor of Montana on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Greg Gianforte (R) | 54.4 | 328,548 | |
| Mike Cooney (D) | 41.6 | 250,860 | ||
| Lyman Bishop (L) | 4.0 | 24,179 | ||
| Chris Hall (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 21 | ||
| Total votes: 603,608 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Barb (G)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Montana
Mike Cooney defeated Whitney Williams in the Democratic primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mike Cooney | 54.9 | 81,527 | |
| Whitney Williams | 45.1 | 67,066 | ||
| Total votes: 148,593 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Casey Schreiner (D)
- Reilly Neill (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Montana
Greg Gianforte defeated Tim Fox and Albert Olszewski in the Republican primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Greg Gianforte | 53.4 | 119,247 | |
| Tim Fox | 27.3 | 60,823 | ||
| Albert Olszewski | 19.3 | 43,080 | ||
| Total votes: 223,150 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gary Perry (R)
- Corey Stapleton (R)
- Peter Ziehli (R)
Green primary election
Green primary for Governor of Montana
Robert Barb advanced from the Green primary for Governor of Montana on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Robert Barb | 100.0 | 713 | |
| Total votes: 713 | ||||
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Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Lyman Bishop advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Montana.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ron Vandevender (L)
Attorney General election
- See also: Montana Attorney General election, 2020
Tim Fox was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2016
- See also: Montana Attorney General election, 2016
Fox ran for re-election as Attorney General of Montana in the 2016 elections. He filed his candidacy with the state Commissioner of Political Practices on November 12, 2014.[3] He was unopposed in the June 7 Republican primary election and competed with challenger and former state Sen. Larry Jent (D) in the November 8 general election.
Incumbent Tim Fox defeated Larry Jent in the Montana attorney general election.
| Montana Attorney General, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tim Fox Incumbent |
67.67% | 332,766 | |
| Democratic | Larry Jent | 32.33% | 158,970 | |
| Total Votes | 491,736 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
Tim Fox ran unopposed in the Montana Republican primary for attorney general.
| Montana Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tim Fox (unopposed) |
100.00% | 140,173 |
| Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting) | 140,173 | |
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||
2012
- See also: Montana attorney general election, 2012
Fox won election as Montana attorney general in 2012. He defeated state Senator Jim Shockley in the June 5th primary election and defeated Democratic primary victor Pam Bucy in the general election on November 6, 2012.
With Fox's win in the general election, he became the first Republican elected to the position in Montana since Marc Racicot - who subsequently ascended to governorship - was elected attorney general back in 1988.[4].
| Attorney General of Montana, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tim Fox |
53.7% | 252,916 | |
| Democratic | Pam Bucy | 46.3% | 218,228 | |
| Total Votes | 471,144 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
| Montana Attorney General Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Tim Fox |
57.8% | 70,239 | ||
| Jim Shockley | 42.2% | 51,343 | ||
| Total Votes | 121,582 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State. | ||||
2008
- Primary
- Fox secured the Republican nomination with 56.6% of the vote.
| Attorney General, 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tim Fox |
56.6% | 43,662 |
| Lee Bruner | 43.4% | 33,424 |
| Total Votes | 77,086 | |
- General
- In the 2008 general election, Fox fell to Democrat Steve Bullock.
| Attorney General, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Steve Bullock |
52.6% | 245,669 | |
| Republican | Tim Fox | 47.4% | 220,992 | |
| Total Votes | 466,661 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tim Fox did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
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 the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
At the time of his 2016 campaign, Fox lived in Helena with his wife, Karen Wagner. The couple had four children: Anna McMahon, Michael McMahon, Laura McMahon, and Caroline Fox, as well as one grandchild, Grace Olivia Emmert.[2]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Montana Secretary of State Elections Page
- Montana Department of Justice
- Politics1-Guide to 2012 Montana elections
- Tim Fox on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Department of Justice, "Attorney General Tim Fox," accessed February 8, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fox for Attorney General, "Tim Fox the Change Montana Needs," accessed March 9, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedvote - ↑ Helena IR, "Bucy wins Demo AG race: faces Fox in November," June 6, 2012
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Steve Bullock (D) |
Attorney General of Montana 2013-2021 |
Succeeded by Austin Knudsen (R) |
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State of Montana Helena (capital) |
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