Biography
Paula Koch is the Democratic candidate for Montana House of Representatives District 4 in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Republican Shaun Pandina.[1][2] A longtime educator from the Columbia Falls and Whitefish area, she listed public education funding, affordability and natural resources as her key campaign messages in a Ballotpedia survey.[3]
Paula Koch graduated from Loyola Sacred Heart High School, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Montana in 1990 and a graduate degree from Montana State University, Billings in 1999.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, she described herself as a lifelong Montanan and longtime resident of House District 4 with nearly three decades in public education, including teaching Spanish, special education, ESL and gifted and talented students.[3] She said she has served as a teacher union president and treasurer.[3]
Koch's survey responses named restructuring Montana's property tax laws to fund public schools, keeping Montana affordable for homeowners and renters, and protecting open space, clean water and public lands as her main campaign priorities.[3]
- 1.Montana House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Paula Koch - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Paula Koch - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Montana House District 4
Paula Koch is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Montana House District 4 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.