Former Whitefish state senator and retired Navy SEAL commander Ryan Zinke announced his candidacy for Montana’s lone U.S. House seat Monday in Billings, saying he intends to address a “crisis of trust” in the United States.

He joins two other Republican candidates: former state Sen. Corey Stapleton of Billings and state Sen. Matt Rosendale of Glendive. All three are betting that Montana Rep. Steve Daines will run for the Senate seat that will be vacated by Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who is retiring at the end of next year.

“I talk to Steve a lot, and I think highly of Steve,” Zinke said. “I think you’ll find that in the near future, Steve will be announcing for the Senate.”

Zinke, 51, mentioned several reasons he decided to run for the House, starting with his own frustration with the lack of meaningful problem solving in Washington, D.C.

“Honestly, I think everyone is just frustrated,” he said in an interview. “There doesn’t seem to be any solutions. I think less politics and more leadership is needed.”

The recent government shutdown was a standoff over spending that should have put President Barack Obama on notice that the government needs a budget that it will stick to rather than going through constant motions to increase spending, Zinke said.

The shutdown was also about Republicans trying to defund or lessen impacts from the Affordable Care Act, which Zinke described as a “train wreck.”

“Let’s figure this thing out, because people are really upset,” he said. “America’s strength isn’t the government, it’s the people.”

And Zinke sees a declining faith in government.

“We are in a crisis of trust,” he said in prepared remarks at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Billings. “As a 23-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, I can attest that as a nation it’s inconceivable that we lose trust in our government. How do we restore faith in our government?”

Zinke went on to emphasize economic freedom, less regulation, favoring markets deciding winners and losers, and the pursuit of American energy independence.

“We need to focus on accelerating North American production, develop our infrastructure with pipelines, roads, sewer systems and a working communication network,” he said. “I will fight a national commitment to become energy independent in five years.”

Zinke said other factors played into his decision to run, most notably support from veterans groups and favorable internal polling.

“We put an exploratory committee up. ... I wanted to see if I had the support to run, and it’s clear that I do. We raised $250,000 in commitments in less than a week,” he said.

“The polling is favorable. I have to deliver my message, and to me, my strength is with veterans and people who care about the country.”

Zinke represented his hometown of Whitefish in the state Senate and was a lieutenant governor candidate for Neil Livingstone’s unsuccessful 2012 gubernatorial election bid. 

A video of the announcement was posted on his website, www.ryanzinke.com.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.