Republican Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke wins re-election in state’s 1st Congressional District

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., will win re-election in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, defeating Democratic candidate Monica Tranel, The Associated Press reports.

With 95% of the vote reported as of Wednesday morning, Zinke led with 52% of the vote, compared to Tranel’s 45%, which is on track to expand on his margin of victory in 2022.

Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, is a fifth-generation Montanan who served 23 years in the military before entering politics to complete another mission of “upholding the Constitution and doing what is right for Montana and America.”

Zinke served as Secretary of the Interior under former President Donald Trump for several years before launching a successful bid for Montana’s newly drawn district in the 2022 midterms. 

MONTANA SENATE RACE, WHICH COULD DETERMINE MAJORITY, SEEING ‘INTENSE GROUND GAME OPERATION’: NRSC CHAIRMAN

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and his wife, Lolita Zinke, walk to the stage to speak during a rally for Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on Aug. 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Michael Ciaglo)

The race was rated Lean Republican in the Fox News Power Rankings.

FILE – Democratic candidate Monica Tranel campaigned in 2022 in Bozeman, Montana. (William Campbell/Getty Images)

Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican from Montana, arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Democratic nominee in the race, Tranel, worked as an attorney, previously competed in two Olympics, and won a World Championship Gold for the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team.

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The race was a rematch of the 2022 midterms, in which Zinke defeated Tranel in the race for the Big Sky State seat by 49% to 46%.