Steve Daines is the senior United States Senator from Montana, having served in the Senate since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was born in Van Nuys, California, in 1962, grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and is a graduate of Montana State University, where he studied chemical engineering. Before entering politics, he spent years working in the private sector, including a significant tenure with Procter & Gamble that involved business development work in China. He also served as an executive at RightNow Technologies, a Bozeman-based software company. He served one term in the U.S. House before winning his Senate seat in 2014.
Daines serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee, all of which are significant for Montana's economy and natural resources. He has been a consistent conservative voice on issues including public lands, energy production, and opposition to environmental regulations that affect agriculture and extractive industries. He chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2022 election cycle.