<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1654284570778,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000177-1b39-d2c7-af7f-5fbf13ff0004","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1654284570778,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000177-1b39-d2c7-af7f-5fbf13ff0004","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54284566", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"813892"} }); ","_id":"00000181-2b0b-dedf-ad93-bf6b0e0e0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedThe open-seat race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District will be between Democratic candidate Monica Tranel and Republican candidate Ryan Zinke, who was previously a congressman from the Big Sky Country and interior secretary in the Trump administration.
Zinke narrowly won the nomination by just over 1,600 votes out of 84,500 cast between him and Al Olszewski, a former state senator and orthopedic surgeon. Olszewski claimed to be the most conservative candidate on the ballot and hit out at his rival over questionable ethics allegations.
In a statement, the former interior secretary thanked his supporters and their “confidence that America can be fixed and for ignoring the political BS,” also extending his thanks to former President Donald Trump, Sen Steve Daines (R-MT), and GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte for endorsing him.
Zinke will now face Tranel in November in Montana’s newly created 1st Congressional District, covering the western quarter or so of the state. Montana gained a second House seat for the first time in four decades due to strong population growth in the decade leading up to the 2020 census.
INSPECTOR GENERAL FINDS TRUMP INTERIOR SECRETARY BROKE ETHICS RULES
Tranel, who has practiced law for 25 years as an attorney and advocate, has said she’s the most qualified and electable candidate, arguing her qualifications stem from her deep roots in the state.
“I’ve been here with my feet on the ground, in the trenches, working for Montanans across the state,” she told Montana Public Radio last month. Tranel, who is also an Olympic rower, is endorsed by former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
Zinke was interior secretary from 2017 until his resignation in 2019, spurred by a federal ethics investigation that found he misused his position to move ahead with development projects in the state without disclosing the details of his personal involvement. Zinke held what at the time was Montana’s lone House seat for a term after his 2014 election following a career in the Navy SEALS and then four years in the state Senate.
Zinke has called the previous ethics investigation into his role as interior head a “political hit job” that was “false.”
In his opposition statements toward President Joe Biden’s administration, Zinke has rebuked the Biden White House for seeking “foreign shores for oil instead of Montana, North Dakota, and Texas” and touted his experience in the Trump administration for helping the United States become “energy dominant.”
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Montana’s primary elections are unique in that the state has open primaries, meaning residents can choose which candidate they prefer regardless of the political party they are registered under.
