Troy Downing
Troy Downing, a Republican who has represented Montana's 2nd congressional district since 2025 after serving as Montana state auditor, seeks reelection in 2026 against Democrat Brian Miller, an attorney.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Troy Downing.
- Born
- March 4, 1967
- Birthplace
- Indio, California
- Education
- New York University (applied mathematics and computer science)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Troy Downing, whose full name is Troy Bryan Downing, was born on March 4, 1967, in Indio, California. He studied applied mathematics and computer science at New York University, where he worked as a research scientist and educator at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Downing built a vacation home in Big Sky, Montana, in 2000 and moved there full-time in 2009. He and his wife, Heather, have four children.
Career
Before entering politics, Downing founded WebCal, a web calendar company later acquired by Yahoo!, and went on to found a nationwide commercial insurance company and a real estate firm.
After the September 11 attacks he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served as a flight engineer in a combat search and rescue squadron and was deployed to Afghanistan twice.
He founded and led AC Self Storage Solutions, a self-storage and real estate investment firm based in Carlsbad, California, and co-owns Wildrye Distilling in Bozeman, Montana. In 2018 he ran for the U.S. Senate, placing third in the Republican primary.
In 2020 Downing ran to succeed Matt Rosendale as Montana state auditor, winning a three-way Republican primary with 50% of the vote and defeating state Senator Shane Morigeau in the general election. He took office on January 4, 2021, and served until 2025.
In 2024 he ran for the U.S. House to succeed Rosendale again, after Rosendale retired following two terms, winning an eight-way Republican primary on June 4, 2024, and defeating Democrat John Driscoll on November 5, 2024.
Downing was sworn in on January 3, 2025, and sits on the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Small Business.
2026 race
Troy Downing is seeking a second term in Montana's 2nd congressional district, which is based in eastern Montana and includes Billings, Great Falls and Helena. He won 65.7% of the vote there in 2024 and was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 82,088 votes.
His Democratic opponent is attorney Brian Miller, who won his party's primary with 55.7% of the vote. Independent Michael Eisenhauer, a cardiologist, is also listed for the general election on November 3, 2026.