Tranel announces another bid for Montana’s 1st Congressional District seat
Blair Miller
(Daily Montanan) Missoula Democrat Monica Tranel announced Monday she is running again for Montana’s 1st Congressional District in 2024 two years after she lost to Republican Ryan Zinke by about 7,800 votes, a roughly three-point margin.
“I got in this race to represent working Montanans against giant corporations that are making record profits, and shifting costs to everyday Montanans and small businesses,” Tranel said in a campaign announcement.
An attorney and former Olympic rower, Tranel lost to Zinke, the former Interior Secretary under the Trump administration and Montana congressman, 49.6% to 46.5% in the 2022 election — the first in which Montana gained a second congressional district in the western portion of the state. Libertarian John Lamb picked up 9,500 votes in the race — more than the gap between Tranel and Zinke.
In Monday’s announcement, Tranel knocked Zinke for “working for corporate interests” and saying his 2022 campaign promises have not come to fruition.
“Zinke took half a million dollars from big oil, and voted to increase their profits while raising our gas prices,” she said in a statement. “He promised $2 gas, but his votes made that impossible. It’s time to elect someone to Congress who’s going to prioritize people who actually live and work in Montana.”
Zinke filed to run for his congressional seat in 2024 in January. He endorsed Republican Tim Sheehy this month in his bid for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s seat, tamping down rumors he might also run for the Senate seat.
In a statement, Ben Petersen, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Tranel had already been rejected at the ballot box and that the House of Representatives Republican campaign arm looked forward to “reminding voters why they’ve repeatedly found Tranel unfit for office.”
Tranel continues to cite her experience as an attorney for the Montana Consumer Counsel, where she won a case at the state Supreme Court over NorthWestern Energy’s ask for more than $8 million in replacement power costs, as among the reasons she would fight for Montanans if elected. She also said she wants to focus on Montana businesses, securing better-paying jobs, and put Montana on a path toward an energy transition.
Tranel was endorsed last campaign by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, among other groups. She brought forth 21 endorsements from Democratic lawmakers for her announcement Monday.
“Monica Tranel is a fighter. She’s shown she can take on big corporations — and win,” Sen. Shannon O’Brien, D-Missoula, said in a statement. “She’s the best candidate to beat Ryan Zinke, and in Congress, she’ll fight for Montana’s working families, ranchers, and small businesses.”
The 1st Congressional District race is expected to be one of several in Montana next year that will see perhaps the most spending ever — as the U.S. Senate seat, both congressional seats, the major statewide positions, and many legislative seats will be up for grabs.
The U.S. Senate race alone is expected to be the most expensive in state history as Democrats try to preserve the only statewide seat they currently hold and as Republicans try to take back the majority power in the upper chamber.
During the 2022 campaign, Tranel raised just over $3 million dollars, much of it from Montanans, while Zinke raised $6.7 million over the term. So far this, the congressman has already raised $571,000 through contributions and transfers from other committees, and has spent just $197,000 of that money.
Tranel beat Cora Neumann and Tom Winter in the Democratic primary for the district, bringing in 65% of the vote. She also ran as a Democrat for the Public Service Commission District 4 seat in 2020, losing to Republican Jenifer Fielder by around 5,200 votes.