Billings, Montana: Katie Zolnikov, 29, Elected First Woman Speaker of the Montana House

House Republicans at the Montana Capitol in Helena elected Rep. Katie Zolnikov of Billings as their choice for speaker of the House on Wednesday, November 11. The result puts the 29-year-old lawmaker in line to become the first woman to serve as speaker of the Montana House.

Zolnikov beat incumbent Speaker Brandon Ler of Savage in a secret ballot. NBC Montana reported that nearly all of the caucus and its 56 Republican representatives took part in the vote. Montana Public Radio reported that the result surprised some lawmakers, who had expected Ler to win another term in the post.

The House Republican release, citing the National Conference of State Legislatures, said Zolnikov will also become the youngest woman to serve as a state House speaker in United States history. She served as speaker pro tempore during the 2025 to 2026 Legislature. She is a small business owner and a mother of two, and she represents a Billings district in the House.

What Zolnikov said

Speaking after the vote, Zolnikov pointed to affordability, government transparency and accountability as priorities for the session ahead. Montana Public Radio reported that she named lowering taxes as one priority, while saying it was still too early to set out a detailed plan.

“Today has shown that you can still rise to the top by your own merits and work ethic. You don't have to be a part of the good old boys club or come from money to rise to the ranks,” Zolnikov said, in remarks reported by Montana Public Radio. In the House Republican release, she said she looks forward to making the American Dream “achievable for all Montanans.”

The speaker is the highest ranking role in the House. The speaker makes committee assignments, sets the agenda for floor debates and assigns bills to committees, NBC Montana reported.

The rest of the leadership teams

House Republicans also chose Rep. Mike Vinton of Billings as speaker pro tempore and Rep. Tom Millett of Marion as majority leader. Reps. Braxton Mitchell, Steve Gist, Greg Oblander, Shannon Maness and Tracy Sharp will serve as majority whips.

In the Senate, Republicans backed Sen. Matt Regier of Kalispell for another term as Senate president. Montana Public Radio reported that Regier won an uncontested election and used his speech to recall the infighting of the 2025 session, when nine moderate Republicans formed a working majority with Democrats on the first day. Regier said he did not want a repeat of that session.

Senate Republicans picked Sen. Daniel Zolnikov of Billings as president pro tempore and Sen. Sue Vinton of Billings as majority leader. Democrats elected Rep. SJ Howell of Missoula to lead the minority in the House, and Sen. Laura Smith of Helena is the new Senate minority leader, Montana Public Radio reported.

What happens next

The caucus choices are not the final step. Top leadership posts, including speaker of the House and Senate president, still go to a vote of the full chamber when the 2027 session convenes in early January, NBC Montana reported. The 70th Montana Legislature will be sworn in and begin its session on January 4, 2027. Lawmakers from both parties are meeting at the Capitol in Helena this week for orientation and committee assignment work.