Zinke talks about the election

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., pushed back against his Democratic opponent and lamented the negative tenor of the current political climate in an interview last week.

A first-term member of the House of Representatives, Zinke is looking to stave off a challenge from Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau in Tuesday’s elections.

Though it is on the list of House races Democrats are looking to pick up, Zinke said he is confident he will be re-elected.

“I believe I will win decisively,” Zinke said.

However, he said, when the election is over the nation needs to find a way to bridge the gaping partisan divide.

“We need to heal as a country again because our problems are not going a way,” Zinke said.

He said that as the race nears its end, the lies get more outrageous.

Zinke said Juneau and outside groups have falsely said he wants to sell public lands. Zinke, a  retired Navy SEAL commander, also said that claims by the Montana Democratic Party that his voting record shows he has turned his back on veterans are an affront to every veteran.

Some have also called into question Zinke’s residency, saying he spends more time in California than Whitefish, Montana, where he grew up and now lives.

It’s a charge Zinke denies, saying the Montana property he owns has been in his family for three generations.

“I think I find it ironic that someone who was born in Oakland and is getting funded by Nancy Pelosi, who is from San Francisco, would say that I am not from Montana,” he said.

Juneau said in an interview that her campaign had not raised those questions and said that the questions were raised by bloggers.

Zinke said that he was surprised he has a Democratic opponent who is so starkly different from him on the issues, casting Juneau as someone who is pro-gun control and who aligns with her party’s base on a host of other issues.

“I think the policy contrast is more sharp than I would have thought,” he said.

Late last month, the House Majority PAC, a  political action committee dedicated to picking up seats for Democrats in the House of Representatives released an ad that portrays Zinke as someone more interested in career ambitions than in the issues facing Montanans.

Zinke, an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on matters of national security, has been a frequent guest on cable news shows.

He also flirted with a possible run for speaker of the House last year.

However, Zinke defended his efforts to raise his profile, saying his ability to stand out in Congress also helps Montana. He said that, given that Montana has only one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, that member has to make themselves heard.

“You need a loud voice to compete with 53 members in California,” Zinke said. “If we want a voice in D.C., a voice in Montana, sometimes you have to stand a little taller,” he said.

He said that his high profile and advocacy have helped bring attention to issues facing Montana that would otherwise be ignored, including bringing important congressional figures such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, to the state.

“How many times does that occur? We have people who know where Montana is on the map,” Zinke said.