U.S. Representative and Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Retire
The Montana Republican will not run for re-election to the U.S. House this year.
U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a Republican, has today announced that he will not run for re-election in 2026. His official statement can be read here. He becomes the 53rd retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives this cycle, the 31st Republican to do so, and the 26th leaving without running for another office.
Zinke, 64, served Montana’s At-Large Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 2015 to March 2017 and the 1st District since January 2023. Covering the western section of the state, the district takes in all of Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Lake, Lincoln, Madison, Mineral, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, and Silver Bow Counties as well as part of Pondera County.
From 1986 to 2008, Zinke served in the U.S. Navy - retiring with the rank of commander. Moreover, he was a member of the U.S. Navy SEALs - serving on SEAL Team Six and SEAL Team One. He formed the consulting companies Continental Divide International in 2005 and On Point Montana in 2009. From 2012 to 2015, he served on the board of the oil pipeline company QS Energy. He represented District 2 in the Montana Senate from January 2009 to January 2013.
In 2012, Zinke was the running mate of Montana gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone. However, the pair finished in fifth with 8.8% in the seven-candidate Republican primary. In 2014, he campaigned for the At-Large District after one-term Republican incumbent Steve Daines retired to successfully run for the U.S. Senate. He secured the nomination with 33.3% in the five-candidate primary. He held onto the seat for the GOP with a 55.4-40.4 victory against Democrat John Lewis.
Zinke remained in the U.S. House until he was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of the Interior during President Donald Trump’s first term in March 2017. He held the position until January 2019. He left to becoming Managing Director of the cryptocurrency investment firm Artillery One.
Following the 2020 round of redistricting, Montana gained a seat in its congressional delegation. Zinke sought a return to office as the new 1st District had no incumbent. He obtained the Republican nomination with 41.7% in the five-candidate primary. He then prevailed in the general election with a 49.7-46.5 plurality against Democrat Monica Tranel. Across his two stints, he has served for three full terms in office.
During the 119th Congress, Zinke serves on the House Committees on Appropriations; and Foreign Affairs.
Zinke becomes the seventh member departing the Appropriations panel - following Republicans Mark Amodei of Nevada, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, Julia Letlow of Louisiana, and Dan Newhouse of Washington as well as Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Meanwhile, he becomes the third member leaving the Foreign Affairs committee - joining Republicans Andy Barr of Kentucky and Michael McCaul of Texas.
Before today’s announcement, four Democrats were already running in the hopes a big enough Blue Wave would flip control of the 1st District. The candidates include 2024 Governor nominee Ryan Busse, education consultant Russell Cleveland, smokejumper Sam Forstag, and rancher Matt Rains. No candidates have yet expressed interest in running for the Republican nomination to succeed Zinke.
Under the current lines, Republican Donald Trump won Montana’s 1st Congressional District with a 54.2-42.7 finish against Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. That came as Trump was carrying the state 58.4-38.5 in his ultimately successful national campaign. On the same ballot, Zinke was re-elected with a 52.3-44.6 victory in a rematch against Tranel for his final term in office.
Notably though, Democratic Senator Jon Tester carried the 1st District during his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2024. He eked out a 49.5-48.8 plurality against Republican Tim Sheehy. The challenger flipped the seat in the U.S. Senate with a 52.6-45.5 win statewide.