Montana’s Own Barry Usher Elected to National Leadership Post

He's a Coastie, the owner of a Harley Davidson shop, and one of our best lawmakers in the Montana Legislature if you ask me. Now, Montana's own Barry Usher has just been elected to a national leadership post.

Big news out of Boston, as State Senator Barry Usher (R-Billings) has been named president-elect of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a bipartisan organization serving the nation's 7,386 state lawmakers and more than 30,000 legislative staff.

According to a press release from the NCSL and the Montana Senate Republicans, Usher is currently NCSL's vice president. He succeeds Illinois Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D), who became NCSL president at this year's Legislative Summit in Boston. NCSL alternates its leadership annually between the two major political parties. Usher will be named NCSL president at the 2026 Legislative Summit in Chicago.

Sen. Usher: "NCSL’s 50 years of assisting legislators, promoting the legislative branch and paving the way for informed policy is commendable. In celebration of this milestone, I will continue to strive to foster bipartisan collaboration and support my peers on both sides of the aisle during my tenure as NCSL president-elect. I hope for the next 50 years and beyond, state legislatures will continue this coordinated effort of uplifting communities and improving the lives of all our constituents.”

Usher is one of the strongest conservatives in the Montana Legislature. He's also one of the rare US Coast Guard veterans you'll come across here in Montana. (I was proud to report recently that our oldest son just enlisted in the Coast Guard by the way!)

Senator Usher is the owner of Beartooth Harley Davidson in Billings, along with several other businesses- according to the Montana Senate GOP. He served in the Montana House of Representatives from 2017 to 2022 and was elected to the Montana Senate in 2022.

Since entering elected office, Usher has worked on legislation related to criminal justice reform, public safety and law enforcement. He was recognized with the Medal of Merit Award from the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for his efforts.