Reilly Neill is an American politician from

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first candidate to file for governor of Montana in the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election. Neill served in 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 one term, from 2013 to 2015. She defeated Dan Skattum in the 2012 elections but lost her re-election bid to Republican

Debra Lamm Debra A. Lamm is an American politician from the U.S. state, state of Montana. She is a former chair of the Montana Republican Party and a former member of the Montana House of Representatives. Lamm defeated Reilly Neill in the 2014 elections, 2 ...

in 2014.

Career

Neill served briefly as the interim executive director of the Park County Environmental Council in Livingston, Montana in 2015. Neill founded and published ''Livingston Current,'' a weekly newspaper that covered the arts, entertainment, and culture of

Park County, Montana Park County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. At the 2020 census, the population was 17,191. Its county seat is Livingston. A small part of Yellowstone National Park is in the southern part of the county. History The Territorial Leg ...

. from 2003 until 2012. She also published ''The Montana Press'', a statewide arts and entertainment journal, from 2019 until 2021, which won numerous Society of Professional Journalism awards.

Montana House of Representatives

In 2012, Neill defeated Republican Dan Skattum for the state House District 62. While in office, she was a member of the Business and Labor Committee and Transportation Committee. She was active in climate change issues, succeeded in the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to consider climate variability and climate change as a number two priority when developing the state's 2014 20-year water plan and introducing legislation to study the effects of climate change on Montana's agricultural sector.

Post-legislative life

Neill published a book about her experience serving in the Montana State Capitol in Helena, “On the Floor: Tales from the Montana House.” In June 2019, Neill filed paperwork for a 2020 bid for the Montana Governor's seat. She ended her campaign in January 2020. Neill facilitated and organized numerous events for the Montana March for Reproductive Rights across the state and online both before and after the Dobbs decision. She continues to administer this non-profit group. In 2024, Neill ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

in as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

. After the election, she announced her candidacy in 2026 U.S. Senate election.

Publication(s)

* ''On The Floor (2014)''

Political positions

Neill, a Democrat, describes herself as a moderate Democrat and open-minded candidate with political philosophies and interests spanning traditional partisan lines.

Personal life

Neill lives in Livingston, Montana. She has a son, Caen Klipp.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neill, Reilly 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Montana Legislature Candidates in the 2020 United States elections Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Living people Women in Montana politics Year of birth missing (living people)