Democrat Monica Tranel knocked her opponent, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, during a stop in Kalispell earlier this month for what she described as his lack of presence on the campaign trail.  

“My strategy is to really meet with and connect with my constituents,” Tranel said. “I haven’t seen Zinke at all and I haven’t talked to anyone who’s seen him so I don’t even know if he comes to Montana.”

Tranel, an environmental lawyer from Missoula, arrived in the Flathead Valley to tour lumber facilities and talk with industry professionals. It was the latest stop on her campaign, which has seen her traverse the western House district and canvass voters on their concerns. 

Chief among them are education, child care, health care and housing, Tranel reported. 

Zinke, a Whitefish native and Republican, declined to comment on either the campaign or election. According to his staffers, the former Navy SEAL is holding off on campaign talk until February.

“Zinke’s time in office has been spent working to keep environmental zealots like Monica Tranel and the worst of the Biden administration political hacks out of Montana’s land and resources management,” Zinke spokesperson Colton Snedecor said in an email statement. 

The race for Montana’s First Congressional District is shaping up as a rematch of 2022. Zinke beat Tranel by four points in that election cycle to return to the House of Representatives after time in the private sector and a stint as Interior secretary under former President Donald Trump marred by scandal. Zinke ultimately resigned from the latter post.

According to Snedecor, Zinke’s team anticipated arguing that Tranel will seek to limit oil and gas production in the U.S., and forestall forestry projects aimed at mitigating wildfire risk. Snedecor also painted Tranel as a supporter of the Green New Deal, a swatch of policies meant to address climate change. 

And then there are the grizzlies.

“There’s a problem that Monica Tranel cares more about grizzly bears than people,” Snedecor said.

Zinke has sought various avenues to delist grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the Endangered Species Act since returning to congress. As Interior secretary, Zinke removed the Yellowstone grizzly from the list, but a federal judge restored the bear’s status in 2018. He has argued that the species has recovered in recent years.

“We need to be good stewards of our resources and understand the changes that are happening and deal with them honestly and realistically," Tranel said in regards to environmental issues. 

Lumping Zinke in with the slim GOP majority controlling the House, Tranel referenced a string of Republican setbacks, scandals and intraparty squabbling in the chamber. 

“We need someone who will do the hard work of working for Montana,” Tranel said. “... We don’t have a functional house of representatives.” 

Those setbacks include the tortuous effort to select former U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, as House speaker in January 2023 and his eventual ouster at the hands of the hard right Freedom Caucus as well as internecine fights over keeping the federal government funded. 

“Ryan Zinke has been in government in one way or another for 15 years,” Tranel said. “And what has he done for Montana?” 

Zinke’s team pointed to the congressman’s efforts to reform Glacier National Park’s reservation system as one answer to that question. Zinke has argued that the pilot program, meant to ease congestion inside the park during the busiest time of the year, disadvantages area residents and creates unnecessary headaches for tourists. He also has called for a revamped shuttle system for the park, but has offered few details about the proposal. 

His staff also pointed to Zinke’s efforts to mitigate the Cottonwood decision, a 2015 court decision that critics argue has put unnecessary delays on forestry projects. That bipartisan effort includes U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, and Sens. Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Jon Tester, D-Montana.

While Tranel and Zinke are the earlier frontrunners for western House district race, Cory Moran of Great Falls also filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican. Moran is currently missing registration information and has not filed a spending report.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.