Ken was born and raised in southeast Montana to a family that first settled there as ranching homesteaders over one hundred years ago. Growing up a Miles City Cowboy, he learned personal responsibility, grit, and what it means to be a Montanan. Two years after witnessing the events of September 11, 2001, Ken answered the call to military service and joined the United States Marine Corps upon his eighteenth birthday. During his four years in the Marines as a combat engineer, Ken served two combat tours in Iraq. He completed missions along the Euphrates River and on the Syrian border to help combat Iran from smuggling weapons into Iraq. After his military service, Ken attended Columbia University on the G.I. Bill then went on to earn a master’s degree in public policy from Middlesex University in London, U.K. When he returned home, Ken became the head coach for Miles City’s American Legion baseball team. Still committed to public service and wanting to give back to the community that supported his family after his younger brother was wounded by an IED in Afghanistan, Ken ran for the Montana State Senate in 2018, and became the youngest member of the Senate. Since then, Ken has worked to preserve the Montana culture that helps make America great and has earned a reputation for getting things done. Ken has successfully passed legislation to prohibit foreign adversaries from buying critical infrastructure, to ensure all Montana voting precincts are subject to post-election audits, and to protect individual privacy rights from government surveillance. Ken currently serves as the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate. In his free time, Ken helps on the Bogner ranch, works to help his fellow veterans find jobs in Montana, and travels Big Sky Country in his old ranch pickup.
