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Corey Stapleton (born September 17, 1967) is a Republican and former Montana State Senator^[1] of 8 years. He is currently running for the Governor's office in Montana^[2].

Corey was born in Seattle, Washington. He was adopted as an infant and lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho until age 2, moved to Great Falls, Montana in 1969. Parents: Tobias “Toby” and Avis Stapleton, brother Todd Stapleton, sisters Kymm (Stapleton) Mutch, and Rachel (Stapleton) Burner, foster sister Traci Reed. Father is a retired architect and colonel in the Army reserve from Lewistown, Montana. Mother was a teacher of home economics, from Livingston, Montana. As a child Corey was a leader of many things good or bad. Small and quick, he was a standout athlete, musician, and student but also had to overcome childhood addictions and juvenile delinquency. He and his childhood sweetheart and future wife Terry (Getten) Stapleton began dating their junior year of high school. Corey played football, was awarded Outstanding Wrestler, and elected student body president for the Great Falls High Bison^{[citation needed]}.

Corey enlisted into the United States Navy’s nuclear power program through the Deferred Entry Program at the end of his junior year of high school, and went to boot camp in Orlando, Florida, the following year after graduation in 1986. In the summer heat of Orlando, Corey quickly ascended into the top leadership position of his boot camp company, earning Honor Recruit, and gaining the attention of military superiors. Within months he was nominated by the Secretary of the Navy to attend the Naval Academy’s prep school in Newport, Rhode Island. Serving as battalion adjutant and earning Most Inspirational wrestler award there, he earned appointment to the United States Naval Academy^[3]in Annapolis, Maryland. The academy years were challenging for Corey, but he wrestled and fought his way through four tough years on the Yard, earning a naval officer’s commission and bachelor of science degree in engineering. Corey and Terry were married June 6, 1992 in Great Falls. He served as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and the aegis cruiser USS Hue City (CG-66), earning numerous awards, qualifications, and commendations before voluntarily resigning his naval commission and returning to Montana in 1997^{[citation needed]}.

Leaving the navy, Corey began his current-day occupation in Billings, Montana, as a financial advisor^[4]primarily working with families and their retirement needs. In 2000 he won a three-way Republican primary and then general election to become the first Generation X-er elected to the Montana State Senate. Within a couple years he was elected Majority Whip^[5] and he would serve continuously in leadership positions until term-limited out of office in 2008. He served as Senate Minority Leader^[6]in the contentious 2007 legislative session, which ended without a budget compromise between the Democratic-controlled senate and Republican-controlled House. With tensions high and trust low, Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) thanked Sen. Stapleton for his leadership in brokering the final special session truce, thus allowing the 2007 legislature to adjourn.

During his tenure in the Senate, Corey sponsored several pieces of legislation including Otter Creek Coal development (SB409 2003)^[7] the attempted creation of a Montana medical school (SB273 2005)^[8] the Montana National Guard Relief Act (SB75)^[9] and the demand for reorganization and replacement of the Montana Department of Revenue’s failed computer system POINTS (SB271 2003)^[10]

The conservative lawmaker was a hawk on the Senate Finance and Claims committee^[11] as well as the Legislative Audit committee^[12] He was a member of the Heritage Foundation’s prestigious Legislative Leaders Council and travelled to Taiwan, Japan, and Turkey representing Montana. In 2006 he was the architect of Republican legislative candidates’ “Handshake with Montana”^[13] similar to the 1994 Republican Party “Contract with America”^[14] and put Montana Republicans back into control of the House and split control of the United States Senate. Stapleton was criticized after for abandoning those promises in the 2007 session^[15]. The 2007 session, in which he was Minority Leader, was criticized by those from both parties for its extraordinary partisan tone^[16] Corey Stapleton is currently running for Governor of Montana in 2012.

Stapleton has criticized blogs as unaccountable as has discouraged those engaging in their free speech rights as discouraging "moral" people from participating^[17]. His solution to this problem was to censor the Internet^[18].

Stapleton was criticized while serving as the Minority Leader for making a potentially racist joke during the 2007 Montana Legislative Session^[19], referring to the "Negro caucus."

Corey and Terry have four children. Corey enjoys playing soccer, basketball, golf, and running marathons and triathlons. He has served on various community boards including Montana Manufacturing Extension board^[20] Rotary, American Legion, and the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind foundation^[21] His family attends Faith Chapel church in Billings