Republican Zinke captures second term in Montana House race

MATTHEW BROWN

Associated Press

BILLINGS (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana captured a second term Tuesday, easily defeating Democratic challenger Denise Juneau with a message that emphasized his military experience and the need for vigilance against terrorists entering the U.S. as refugees.

The victory by the Whitefish Republican and former U.S. Navy SEAL maintains his party’s two-decade lock on the state’s sole House seat.

Zinke had previously expressed interest in serving in the cabinet of a Donald Trump administration.

He did not explicitly reject that possibility Tuesday night in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, saying only that for now he was “happy to be a congressman.”

“I’m grateful that the great people of Montana gave me their blessing for one more term,” Zinke told the AP just after the race was called in his favor. “This election has been very divisive and the challenge is going to be to work together as Americans.”

As a former military officer, he added that he would evaluate the issues facing the country on their merits and not their political origin.

Juneau has served for almost eight years as the state’s public schools chief and was attempting to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress, a possibility that drew national interest to the race.

Yet voters were not convinced by her criticism of Zinke for his strong ties to Donald Trump and her charges that he wanted to sell off public lands. Montana voters ended up overwhelmingly supporting Trump.

Tuesday’s result capped the most expensive House campaign in the state’s recent history. More than $8.5 million poured into the race, much of it from out-of-state political committees and donors. Zinke outspent Juneau more than two-to-one.

The 55-year-old Zinke was a SEAL for 23 years and a state senator before winning his seat in 2014.

Beyond national security, Zinke advocated during his campaign for increased coal mining and other natural resources development and protecting second amendment rights. In television advertisements and public debates he sought to characterize Juneau as out of step with Montanans on both issues.

During his first term, he pushed legislation that would bar Syrian refugees until a more stringent vetting system was put into place. He also promoted a forestry bill intended to revitalize the timber industry and measures intended to boost coal, oil and natural gas production.

None of those measures have been signed into law, but Zinke said in recent weeks that they still have a chance in the closing months of the 114th Congress.

Shortly before the race was called for Zinke, Juneau told her supporters gathered at a bar in Missoula that the state’s Democrats should proud of running a campaign that centered on putting Montana’s land, people and economy first.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” Juneau said. “This girl from Browning couldn’t be more grateful for everyone who supported me and who campaigned for me and who voted for me.”

Libertarian Rick Breckenridge of Proctor trailed far behind Zinke and Juneau, winning a tiny percentage of Tuesday’s vote. Breckenridge was a late entry to the race after the party’s original candidate, Mike Fellows, a longtime fixture in Montana’s Libertarian Party died in a September car crash.