It was the talk of every town in western Montana in early March: Ryan Zinke had dropped out of the race for Congress, just two days before campaign filings officially closed.  

Republicans rushed to fill the congressman’s place. Flathead Republican Party chair Al Olszewski filed to run, as did Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and University of Montana instructor Ray Curtis. But it was Aaron Flint, the host of a popular conservative radio talk show, that attracted the most attention.  

Within 24 hours of launching, Flint’s campaign garnered a slew of high-profile endorsements, a $1 million pledge from a super-PAC and hundreds of thousands of dollars in other funding. 

Zinke gave Flint his own “complete and total endorsement” and has subsequently appeared at several of Flint’s campaign events. One of Zinke's longtime staff members is listed as the main contact for Flint’s campaign. Another member on Zinke’s staff independently confirmed that he is also working for the Flint campaign. 

It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. 

“I did my part to make sure that Aaron [Flint] has the right team to win,” said Zinke in an interview with the Inter Lake.    

When, how and why did Zinke hand off the race for Montana’s western House district to Aaron Flint? The answer depends on who you ask.   

Zinke said his retirement was a recent decision spurred by a wipeout while skiing on Big Mountain. He broke a rib in the crash, but doctors were more concerned about a host of other long-term issues that would require surgical intervention.  

“They say, well, your rib will heal, but you’ve got other issues you need to attend to,” said Zinke. “And then, you know, I was comfortable with it because Aaron [Flint] is really, really good.” 

Flint had not announced any plans to run for an elected position at the time, but Zinke said that his office had “been looking at possible successors for a while.” Flint stood out for his military background and abilities as a "superstar-like performer.” 

Zinke uploaded a photo to Facebook on Feb. 14 with the caption, “Got some runs in with the guys today. First fresh snow on Big Mountain in weeks. Felt good.” 

Zinke also referenced fresh snowfall in his discussion of the skiing accident with the Daily Inter Lake, stating that several inches of snow had fallen in the preceding days. 

The photo places Zinke’s skiing accident about two weeks before his retirement announcement and about one month after Flint recalled Zinke asking him to run for Congress. 

At a March 13 fundraiser in the Flathead Valley, Flint described receiving a phone call from the congressman in mid-January. Zinke asked Flint if he would run for election in Montana House District 1.  

"Ryan [Zinke] said, I just need a yes or a no,” said Flint. “And I said yeah, we’re all in.” 

Campaign plans were solidified after Zinke met with President Donald Trump. While Flint did not disclose the subject of the meeting, Trump endorsed Flint the day after he launched his campaign 

FELLOW REPUBLICAN candidate for Montana House District 1 Al Olszewski stretches the timeline even further. He said he saw hints of Zinke’s impending retirement as early as last year, when the congressman’s fundraising emails stopped mentioning his own reelection and instead focused on maintaining GOP control of the U.S. Congress. 

“Just like he was always a big Whitefish High School jock, things have always been about him,” said Olszewski.  

He thought Flint’s radio silence on his move to the Flathead Valley also seemed out-of-character. Flint confirmed he moved to the Flathead Valley in the summer of 2025, but Olszewski said he only heard about the relocation in the fall. 

Flint had connections to the Flathead Valley, as he often visited his father in Whitefish while growing up, but Olszewski also knew that hometown roots are a key campaign strategy for many Montana politicians. The timing seemed prescient.    

“Aaron Flint is not one to lay low,” said Olszewski. “That was probably the first time I went, oh, something’s going on here.”   

The final blow came in February, when Zinke neglected to file for candidacy a week after campaign filings opened. Olszewski said that was when he started talking to his wife about launching his own campaign. He believes he was a promising candidate to replace Zinke, having lost the 2022 Republican primary to the congressman by only 2 percentage points.

Zinke soon made it clear that he had other plans for succession. 

Olszewski has not been quiet about his disapproval of Zinke’s involvement in Flint’s campaign. 

Incumbents tend to have an edge, so many prospective candidates would hesitate to enter a race against an entrenched politician like Zinke. While Olszewski acknowledged that Zinke’s retirement announcement came two days before the filing deadline, he said not all worthwhile candidates would have the capital on hand to swiftly launch a campaign. Many politicians start fundraising months before campaign filings even open. 

By delaying the announcement of his retirement, Olszewski argued, Zinke essentially narrowed the field of prospective candidates. Olszewski said he felt it created an unfair advantage for Flint, whom he referred to as “the Anointed” in social media posts. 

Olszewski also questioned the ethics of Zinke’s fundraising efforts leading up to his retirement announcement, as donors likely assumed that Zinke intended to run for Congress in 2026 when they made donations to his campaign fund. 

“It’s again just showing the dishonesty and the cleverness and the deception,” said Olszewski.   

Zinke raised more than $4 million in 2025. About $2.8 million remained in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31.  

On March 5, Zinke filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to change the account from a campaign fund to a leadership PAC titled the “Commander Zinke Leadership Fund.” The new designation allows Zinke to direct funds toward the campaigns of other candidates. 

LEADING UP to campaign filing, Montana’s western House seat was considered the most competitive federal election in the state. The Cook Political Report ranked the race as “likely Republican,” and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the seat to its list of “districts in play” in early February. 

A poll released by a Republican public opinion research firm in January showed Zinke with a marginal lead on Democratic candidates Ryan Busse and Sam Forstag. 

Political experts are split on how Zinke’s retirement affects Republicans’ chances of hanging onto Montana’s western congressional seat. Incumbents typically have the advantage of name recognition, but plummeting congressional approval ratings have left some analysists to surmise that the Republican party may be better off with a fresh face in play.  

Who that face is, remains up to the voters. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.