Paul Tuss (born 1964/1965) is an American Democratic politician serving as a member of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House In the event that the parti ...

for the 27th district. Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 2, 2023.

Personal life

Tuss, the youngest of five children of Mary Jane and Walter Tuss, was born in

Anaconda, Montana Anaconda, county seat of Deer Lodge County, Montana, Deer Lodge County, which has a consolidated city-county government, is located in southwestern Montana, United States. Located at the foot of the Anaconda Range (known locally as the "Pintle ...

, and grew up in nearby

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...

. He graduated from Anaconda High School and received his bachelor's degree in political science from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

(UM) in 1988. Tuss was a member of

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, UM Advocates, and the College Democrats, and was named one of the 1986 Outstanding Young Men of America. Tuss met his wife, Pam Hillery, while studying at UM. They were married for 27 years before her death in 2016. The couple had a son named Dolan and a daughter named Caroline.

Career

Tuss worked in economic development in rural northern Montana. He was the executive director of the Bear Paw Development Corporation for over 20 years and chaired organizations like the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education and the Montana Economic Developers Association. Tuss also served on boards for the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Montana Hospital, the Montana Cooperative Development Center and the Evergreen Chapter of the ALS Association. Tuss ran for

Secretary of State of Montana The secretary of state of Montana is one of the elected constitutional officers of executive branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The current secretary of state is Christi Jacobsen. Organization The Secretary of State's Office is composed of fi ...

in 2000, losing in the Democratic primary to Hal Harper. During the 2000 presidential election, Tuss was a Montana state co-chair of GoreNet. GoreNet was a group that supported the Al Gore campaign with a focus on

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

and

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

organizing as well as hosting small dollar donor events. In

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, Tuss challenged Republican incumbent Russel Tempel for his

Montana Senate The Montana State Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...

seat representing the 14th district, losing the race by 132 votes. After conceding the race, Tuss said he "certainly id nothave any interest in running in the near future." In February 2022, Tuss announced his candidacy in the 2022 election to represent the 28th district in the

. Tuss was elected to the seat in November, defeating Republican incumbent

Ed Hill Edward Monroe Hill (born in Hanford, California) is an American country music songwriter. Hill has been active since the early 1970s. Hill plays piano and keyboard and has backed Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson.

by ten points. Arren Kimbel-Sannit of the '' Montana Free Press'' called his win the "biggest surprise victory for Democrats" in the House. In 2024, Tuss campaigned for his reelection to a second term in the House. Due to redistricting, Tuss ran to represent the 27th district, rather than the 28th. He defeated

in an electoral rematch.

Electoral history

2000

2018

2022

2024

References

External links

*
Official campaign website

State legislature bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuss, Paul Living people 1960s births Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives University of Montana alumni People from Anaconda, Montana Politicians from Havre, Montana 21st-century members of the Montana Legislature