Jon Sonju
Jon Sonju (b. 1975) is a former Republican member of the Montana State Senate, representing District 4 from 2011 to 2015. Sonju did not seek re-election in 2014.
Sonju served as a member of the Montana House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Sonju served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs, Chair |
| • Highways and Transportation |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Sonju served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Finance and Claims |
| • Highways and Transportation, Vice Chair |
| • Local Government, Chair |
| • Long-Range Planning |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Sonju served on the following committees:
| Montana committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Rules |
| • Taxation |
| • Transportation, Chair |
Campaign themes
2012
On his campaign website,Sonju highlighted the following areas:
- Jobs & the economy
- Agriculture
- Responsible government
- Energy & natural resources
- Conservative values
- Education
Government efficiency
Sonju chaired the Select Committee on Efficiency in Government, a joint committee of six senators and six representatives created by the Montana State Legislature in 2011. In its final report in September 2012, the committee made eight legislative recommendations. The report included proposals to institute and measure the outcomes of a pay-for-performance pilot program for children's Medicaid mental health services. The most financially significant proposal was to reduce the annual funding for pre-authorization reviews for certain Medicaid services from $1.7 million to $185,000. This savings would be obtained by only requiring these reviews, for which Montana contracts with a private company, to be done only as required by federal law, not for additional mental health services. The committee submitted its recommendations to the 63rd Legislature (2013-14) for consideration.[1] The Montana Policy Institute suggested that, if the legislature found that the committee found valuable savings, a similar committee should be formed to continue its work.[2]
Elections
2014
In July 2013, Sonju announced that he will not seek re-election to the state senate in 2014. He revealed that he will run for Montana's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives in the event of incumbent Steve Daines (R) running for the United States Senate.[3]
2012
Sonju was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Montana. He ran on a ticket with Rick Hill. They defeated 6 other pairs of candidates in the June 5th primary election.[4]
Hill and Sonju lost in the general election on November 6, 2012.
| Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Montana General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Steve Bullock and John E. Walsh |
48.9% | 236,450 | |
| Republican | Rick Hill and Jon Sonju | 47.3% | 228,879 | |
| Libertarian | Ron Vandevender and Marc Mulcahy | 3.8% | 18,160 | |
| Total Votes | 483,489 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State | ||||
| Governor/Lt. Governor of Montana, Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Rick Hill & Jon Sonju |
34.4% | 46,802 | ||
| Corey Stapleton & Bob Keenan | 18.1% | 24,661 | ||
| Ken Miller & Bill Gallagher | 18% | 24,496 | ||
| Jim O'Hara & Scott Swingley | 12.2% | 16,653 | ||
| Neil Livingstone & Ryan Zinke | 8.8% | 12,038 | ||
| Jim Lynch & Al Olszewski | 6.1% | 8,323 | ||
| Bob Fanning & Joel Boniek | 2.3% | 3,087 | ||
| Total Votes | 136,060 | |||
| Election results via Montana Secretary of State. | ||||
2010
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2010
On November 2, 2010, Sonju won election to the Montana State Senate, defeating Mary Reckin. He defeated Dan Pickar in the June 8 primary by a margin of 1,924-456.[5][6]
| Montana State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Sonju |
67.8% | 4,007 | |
| Democratic | Mary Reckin | 32.2% | 1,902 | |
| Total Votes | 5,909 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Jon Sonju won re-election to the Montana House of Representatives for District 7, receiving 2,937 votes.
Sonju raised $5,202 for his campaign.[7]
| Montana House of Representatives, District 7 General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Sonju Incumbent |
68.4% | 2,937 | |
| Democratic | Shannon Hanson | 31.6% | 1,356 | |
| Total Votes | 4,293 | |||
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard 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 to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Montana State Legislature did not hold a regular session.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Montana State Legislature was in session from January 7 to April 27.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the Montana State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Sonju and his wife, Tania, have one child.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jon + Sonju + Montana + Senate
See also
- Montana State Legislature
- Montana State Senate
- Montana Senate Committees
- Montana Joint Committees
- Montana state legislative districts
External links
- Office website (63rd session)
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004
- October 29, 2012 snapshot of Sonju's campaign website (Rick Hill for Governor)
- Hill and Sonju's campaign on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Legislature, "Final Report of the Select Committee on Efficiency in Government," September 2012
- ↑ Montana Policy Institute, "Montana Pig Book," accessed March 7, 2014 (Referenced p. 37-38)
- ↑ The Daily Inter Lake, "Sonju backs Blasdel as his successor," July 19, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "Montana primary election, unofficial results," accessed June 6, 2012
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2010 Legislative General Election Canvass," accessed March 8, 2014
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "Legislative Primary Canvass - June 08, 2010," accessed March 8, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Sonju, Jon," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ Montana Contractors' Association, "Stronger Together: Political Representation," accessed November 5, 2015
- ↑ Montana Weed Control Association, "2013 Legislative Report & Scorecard," accessed September 17, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gregory Barkus |
Montana State Senate District 4 2011–2014 |
Succeeded by Mark Blasdel (R) |
| Preceded by ' |
Montana State House District 7 2005–2011 |
Succeeded by Randy Brodehl (R) |
