Montana State Auditor Troy Downing is seeking the Republican nomination but allegations of violent threats and an attempt to underpay child support may derail his campaign. Fellow Republicans have drawn attention to Downing divorce records that show accusations of threatening to kill his wife and he failed to pay the proper amount of child support.
Court filings show that Laura Downing accused Troy Downing of threatening to kill her.
According the documents, Laura Downing stated under oath that she and Troy had parted ways and were no longer residing together. She recounted an occasion when she visited the house one evening to bid the children goodnight and organize plans for the following morning.
“Troy was livid and did not want to let me enter the house,” Laura Downing said. “As I passed by him to enter, he said, ‘I’m gonna kill you, maybe tonight.’”
Laura Downing’s testimony outlined the decline of her relationship with Troy Downing and was integral to a legal action aimed at revising their divorce agreement. These specifics are documented in court records stemming from the Downings’ separation, divorce, and subsequent proceedings related to child custody and support, which commenced in San Diego in 2002.
Troy Downing has denied the allegations.
In early 2009, four years after their initial divorce, Laura Downing pursued a revision to the child support arrangement, asserting that Troy Downing’s income warranted an increase in payments. The court determined that Troy Downing was earning $25,000 per month, a figure he disputed, and he couldn’t substantiate his claim that his gross monthly income was below this amount. Consequently, he was mandated to pay $2,894 monthly in child support for their two children.
News of Downing’s divorce records first surfaced back in 2018 when he was running in the Republican Primary for US Senate. In that race, Downing came in third of four candidates, garnering only 29,341 votes for less than 18%. His bid for Montana’s Eastern Congressional district has brought renewed attention to the matter.
Absentee ballots are scheduled to mail Friday, May 10 for the June 4 primary election.
